Fanning the Flames of Rebellion
by GameOfFandoms
Summary: This fic takes place after Season 2 Episode 19, just before the Jedi leave for Malachor. Follow the rebels as they continue to prove themselves to be a thorn in the Empire's side and make new allies. There will be bits of Sabezra and Kanera. There will be an appearance of an OC later on, just a warning because some people don't like an OC that isn't theirs. Rated T just in case.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One: Goodbyes**

"Ezra? Are you ready?" Kanan's voice interrupted the young padawan's thoughts, and suddenly Ezra remembered where he was. They were about to leave for Malachor. The feeling of fear and uncertainty returned to him, and his stomach tightened at the notion of leaving the rebellion. He swallowed it down, clearing his mind with the techniques that his master had taught him. Turning to the person in question, he nodded, flashing a confident grin at the older Jedi.

"Of course I am master." He forced out, almost choking on his words and feeling worried by how calm he sounded compared to how he felt. Kanan sensed his padawan's unease through the Force, and wrapped an arm around his shoulder for comfort. A couple of months ago, Ezra would have pushed his master away at the contact, maybe even flinched a little, but now it helped him. After coming to peace with his parent's deaths, Ezra had finally come to accept the Ghost crew fully as his new family.

Both master and padawan turned at the sounds of footsteps behind them, upsetting the sandy surface of the planet. Ahsoka Tano stood there, watching the two with an odd expression on her face.

"What?" The pair questioned simultaneously, causing her to smile.

"Nothing," She sighed. "The two of you just remind me of how it used to be, that's all. You're exactly how my... My master used to be with me." Kanan sobered up at that, and even Ezra's smile was dulled, but then it brightened again.

"Well, you have a new chance at that now." He declared boldly. At her confused look he added. "While we're not exactly your master, we're still your friends, and friends are only one step away from family when you think about it." Kanan smiled proudly at his padawan, for once not upset with the youth's outbursts. Ahsoka shifted uncomfortably, and Kanan could see the young padawan that she used to be, before she stood up straight with a small smile adorning her features.

"Thank you Ezra, that means a lot. Are you ready to go?" The Togruta asked. Ezra glanced up at Kanan before turning back to Ahsoka.

"Um, can I go say goodbye to everyone first? I know I should have said it earlier but I kinda felt like if I put it off then we wouldn't have to..." The blue-haired teen cut himself off and stared at his feet.

"Wouldn't have to leave?" Ahsoka finished for him. Ezra merely nodded. "Go, but don't take too long." The padawan nodded and raced off without a word.

Ahsoka then turned to Kanan.

"Have you said goodbye to Hera yet?"

The Jedi Knight met her query with one of his own.

"Have you said goodbye to Rex?"

She frowned at the turn around but answered anyway.

"That's different. Rex is a friend, a very good friend. Hera is clearly something more than that to you. And if there's one Jedi teaching that I never agreed with, it was the attachment one. You need to speak with her." Kanan nodded and left, but not before adding over his shoulder.

"You know, someone very young but very wise just said that friends are only a step away from family."

He left then, wondering why Ahsoka disagreed with that one most of all. Did she love somebody too? Who could it have been? At the temple, they had all heard the rumours of Anakin Skywalker and Padme Amidala, and then there had even been some that her master's influence had led to something between Ahsoka and Lux Bonteri, but Tano herself had told the younglings during one of her classes that she was merely his friend, and apparently later confided in Barriss Offee that she held no feelings of romance towards him. Before Barriss was sentenced for the bombing of the temple, she had done her best to quell the rumours about her friend, meaning that Kanan had gotten more than just quiet whispers.

Kanan was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he didn't realise he was at Hera's door until she opened it.

"Kanan. Aren't you supposed to be going somewhere?" She asked, with a hint of coldness and accusation in her voice. Despite his words to her last night, she still felt some anger towards him for leaving.

"I am, but I came to say goodbye first." He said, as evenly as he could manage. He took a step forward, but she just took a step back.

"Don't make this any harder on us Kanan." She warned. "It's bad enough that you're leaving, taking both Ezra and Ahsoka, the only other Jedi we have, but you insist on reminding me by trailing around trying to apologise. If you're going, just go." She shut the door in his face, but not before a tear escaped and rolled down her cheek.

Kanan just stood there, dumbfounded. He sighed.

"I'm sorry Hera, I truly am." He whispered. Before turning away.

Behind the door, Hera just sobbed.

He was right, Ahsoka realised. She did need to talk to Rex. The old clone wasn't particularly happy with her decision to just up and leave with all of the Jedi in the rebellion, even though that number was only three. She sighed and made her way to Rex's quarters.

The old captain wasn't in the best of moods when she arrived. But at least it wasn't her that he was angry at.

"Damn sand. Gets everywhere this blasted stuff!" He ranted to himself, not noticing the Togruta in the doorway. "And now I've got to clean my armour out, again! There's a reason we never had bases on planets like this in the old days" He muttered.

"Yes, because the clankers never came out this far." Ahsoka reasoned, using the clone's favoured term for the droids from the Clone Wars. Rex straightened and turned his glare on her, but it was softened, and there was a twinkle in his eyes.

"I was wondering if you were gonna turn up, Commander." He said gruffly. "Off gallivanting around the galaxy again, leaving me like the Wars?"

"It's not like that, Rex, and you know it." She argued calmly. The clone gave in, rubbing his beard.

"I know, but I wish I could go with you Commander, that's all." He sighed.

"Stop with the 'Commander', Rex, that's not who I am anymore. Besides, your best use is here, to train any new recruits with the Old Republic standards." She smiled.

He scoffed. "Don't even get me started. They don't know a thing about weapon maintenance, reparations, base construction. How I am going to try to work my magic on this lot?"

"That's for you to find out, not me." She teased, moving for the door.

"What? No words of Jedi wisdom for me?" He poked back, grinning. Ahsoka stopped and paused, thinking of a suitable reaction. Deciding upon one, she responded.

"Do, or do not, there is no try." She said mysteriously, grinning back.

"Oh great, that one's useless!" He moaned.

"See ya round, Rex." The ex-Jedi called, walking away with the old spring in her step that the captain hadn't seen in years.

"See ya round kid." He said softly.

Ezra went to Zeb first. The Lasat was in the same place as yesterday, his set up on the edge of the cliff that looked over the horizon.

"Hey big guy." He said tentatively. Zeb tensed slightly, before turning round to face the young apprentice.

"Hey kid, you not gone yet?" He grumbled, acting as if he was annoyed that Ezra was still here. He reached out when the boy's face dropped slightly, as if he had expected to be unwelcome.

"I'm messing with you Loth-rat, brighten up a little." He chuckled, attempting to relieve the tension by giving Ezra a soft punch on the arm. Ezra relaxed, smiling a little.

"So, we're going soon." The teen began, and Zeb nodded, guessing where the conversation was headed. "And, I... I wanted to say goodbye."

"It's not goodbye forever kid." The Lasat said, his ears flattening a little, portraying the emotions that he was usually so good at hiding.

"I know, but I still need to say it." The boy sighed before continuing. "Will, will you still want me when I get back? Will Hera want us back?" Zeb saddened, seeing what was eating Ezra up.

"Let's think, will I want the smelly Loth-rat that always plays pranks on me, gets on my nerves, and is the general bane of my existence, back as my bunkmate when he returns?" He pondered aloud. "Wouldn't miss it for the galaxy kid." He said, smiling as Ezra's face lit up. And for the first time since they had met, the Lasat hugged the street kid, and the teen hugged back.

"Now go on kid," Zeb grunted, pushing Ezra off of him. "You need to go see a certain artist, or my name isn't Garazeb Orrelios." Ezra nodded, getting the message.

"Thanks Zeb, but you will forever be a 'rare, hairless Wookie' to me!" He called, running away. And for once, Zeb didn't chase him.

His trip to Sabine's cabin was far scarier than talking with Zeb, given that the artist had some new prototype miracles in her hands when he approached her.

"What do you want kid?" She demanded, snapping at him in a manner that was most unlike her. Ezra gulped. He didn't want an angry Sabine to turn on him. Those miracles were looking a lot less like miracles now. More like a death sentence.

'Huh, she hasn't called me kid in weeks, there goes my good standing with her.' The teen thought, cogs whirring in his brain.

"Look, Sabine, I..." He started.

"Oh save it Bridger!" She snapped, losing her temper. "I get it, you're going. You and Kanan and Ahsoka are leaving us on some stupid Jedi business! You don't know when you'll be back and you're as good as leaving us for dead!"

"I don't know if I'm coming back." Ezra stated calmly, using every technique the aforementioned Jedi had taught him to remain in control. "It's not a 'when', it's an 'if', Sabine. And you're acting like we're being selfish and leaving the rebellion altogether. We're trying to help. And if helping means leaving for a while then, so be it."

"I can't believe you're doing this." The Mandalorian said exasperatedly, in utter disbelief. "You're really going through with this. Walking out on us. On Hera. On Zeb. On Chopper. On Rex. On me." The last part stung. And it made him mad.

"You know what Sabine? I'm not surprised you don't understand. I'm not surprised that you feel the way you do about this. But what I am surprised about is that you think we're walking away. Did you forget about the inquisitors? Because I sure didn't. Not when I see them in my head every night. I live unimaginable hells because I know that they are still out there, until we have a way to beat them." Sabine ignored him.

"Don't expect a big welcome back party." She said tonelessly, turning her back on the Jedi-in-training. That was it for Ezra. Eyes stinging with tears, he stalked away before she could do anymore damage.

He found himself in his room on the Ghost before he stopped walking. The blue haired teen sighed heavily, and picked up his backpack that contained all of the belongings he would need for the journey to come; the holodisk with his parents on, a few energy bars, his extensive toolkit and a datapad that Kanan had given him with all of the lightsaber forms on them, amongst other things. His lightsaber hung at his belt, ready for use. Wiping his eyes, Ezra took a last look around the cabin he had shared with Zeb for what felt like an eternity. Then, he left.

In that same room, standing alone on the desk, was a picture of the crew. The whole crew. They all had the same one. Taken after they had met up with the rebellion and had taken a short vacation to a tropical island. Ezra sat on Kanan and Zeb's shoulders, with Hera and Sabine to either side and Chopper down in front. They were all smiling in front of a picturesque tropical coastline; palm trees and a strip of pure, white sand before the deep blue ocean. The picture could have been mistaken for Zeb's copy. But Zeb had his under the pillow, although he'd never admit to it, so it wasn't the Lasat's. It was Ezra's.

The three Jedi gathered in the small, make-shift hangar on the east side of the base. Ezra and Kanan were both considerably subdued, resorting to sitting in silence until the final member of their group arrived. Soon enough, she did.

"Is everyone ready?" She asked cautiously, fully aware of the conversations that had taken place between the two and their crewmates. Kanan roused himself and glanced at Ezra before speaking.

"Ready as I'll ever be. You up for it Ezra?" He asked his padawan, who was perched on a crate, staring at the floor forlornly. The padawan shook it off and jumped to his feet.

"I'm ready." He said confidently.

"Then let's get going." Replied the Togruta, already climbing aboard the ship that the rebellion was lending them for the journey. It was a small, light craft, larger than the Phantom but far smaller than the Ghost. The Phantom would have been preferable but there were no sleeping quarters, and no storage. There was also the fact that Hera would have never let them use it in the state she was in.

Outside the base, Hera, Zeb, Sabine, Chopper and Rex were sitting together. There wasn't much conversation, and each member was there purely to see the Jedi leave as a form of personal assurance. They had been holding on to a small hope that the three would stop their preparations and would come back to them, but as the small craft took off and sped away from the surface, that hope vanished. Slowly, the group dispersed, each member would get over it in their own way. It would just take time.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: After Malachor**

 **Before I get into this chapter, I just want to say that it will take place after the finale because there is no way that I could do that justice, much less create a better one. If you guys didn't see, Ahsoka is still alive, as the episode shows her walking in the temple before cutting to the Ghost, and I will be carrying on from the finale. For now I will stick with the rebels but I will write Ahsoka back in somewhere, I'm just not sure how yet. Anyway, thank you for the support with the first chapter, it meant a lot. On with Chapter 2!**

Kanan sighed, fiddling with his bandages, nervous at the thought of what was to come. The loss of his sight couldn't have come at a worse time. First, they lose Ahsoka, so training with Ezra would be even harder without the help that he had come to rely on. Second, he couldn't actually see said padawan to train him, couldn't see anything in fact. And third, he could feel the young Jedi slipping further and further away from him. Since Malachor, Ezra had been distant with everyone, and Kanan knew that the usually boy blamed himself for what happened to Ahsoka.

"A credit for your thoughts?" A very familiar and welcome voice asked. Kanan felt like he knew Hera better than he knew himself, and as a Jedi, he was supposed to know everything about himself. It caused less doubt, therefore less fear, Yoda had reasoned when he taught them, and so less temptation from the dark side. He could picture her clearly in his mind, still in her jumpsuit that was smothered in grease and dirt, smiling ever so faintly at the man before her as she worried about him. Her features would be arranged in a slight scowl that still made her look beautiful, especially to Kanan, and her foot would be tapping nervous patterns on the floor, muffled by her worn boots. Hera's lekku would sway slightly, curling at the ends as they did when she was worried or scared. It saddened Kanan, to know that he could picture it but had no way to tell if he was correct. He knew he was, but he still missed being able to see it. See her.

"I'm just worried about Ezra," The Jedi Knight confessed. "He's been so distant and isolated since Mala... The incident. I'm scared that he's losing his way."

Hera noticed how he stopped himself from saying 'Malachor', as if it was a taboo. She put a comforting arm on his shoulder, and he leaned into the touch gratefully, at least being able to feel her touch even if he couldn't see her.

"I think Ezra just needs time, he lost Ahsoka and he nearly lost you. Think back to what you were like when we first met, you were exactly like this; moody and distant, and that was over a decade after you lost your master. Just give it time." She reasoned, reflecting on times gone past. Kanan just sighed. "How are your eyes?" She asked, deciding on finding a different topic, and wincing at the way it came out.

"They sting, a lot. But it's not as bad as it could be." He said, attempting an optimistic approach. "I just wish it wasn't red all the time, it's a constant reminder that I could really do without right now. And sleep is nearly impossible because of it. But I'll live, it's mostly just the colour, it's the wrong shade and totally not my colour." He added, sensing Hera's worry and attempting a joke to ease her. With the loss of his sight came a sort of enhancement to his other senses, as Kanan had found out first hand when he duelled Maul.

"I'm worried about you." Hera's voice shook, and her hand trembled on his shoulder. He reached up and held it within his own, and then she collapsed into a hug. He held her as she calmed herself, before speaking.

"Easy there love, I'll be fine. It might only be temporary, who knows?" He said in a voice that was far more confident than he felt. Hera wasn't a Jedi, but she seemed to sense that he was just as worried as she was, and held him even closer.

What Hera didn't tell Kanan was that the medical droids had already told her that it was permanent, that they had nothing to help the Jedi but painkillers. She didn't tell him that there was no chance of him seeing again. It had never been done. And it never would be. A solitary tear slipped out, and she hurriedly blinked to get rid of the others threatening to make an escape. Kanan didn't appear to notice.

What Kanan didn't tell Hera was that he did feel the tear roll down her cheek and onto his shirt, and he already knew what the doctor had said, but he also knew that there was a way. But it required something they didn't have.

There were stories in the temple that Kanan had heard growing up. Stories of Jedi that were so strong with the Force, that they could heal almost any injury. One such story was that of Jedi Master Ki-Adi-Mundi, who healed a broken collar bone almost entirely by meditation after he was ambushed during an attempt to find Sharad Hett, another Jedi that had deserted the Order after his homeworld was destroyed and his family was killed. If a Jedi was incredibly in tune with the Force, and very powerful, then they could use the Force to heal almost any injury. It was said that the Kyber crystals that powered a Jedi's lightsaber could also enhance this healing ability, if the Force was channelled through them.

'It's just a shame we lost Ahsoka. I don't know if Ezra can manage it, and I know I can't do it alone.' Kanan thought. This was the reason that he had left Force Healing out of Ezra's training. He didn't want the boy to exert himself if one of the crew was injured. A padawan of Ezra's age was usually aware of the ability, but seeing as Ezra had only been training for a few months and a padawan in the old Order would have trained for a number of years, Kanan thought it prudent to leave it out for the time being.

"Bacta can heal the body, but the Force can heal the soul." An old Force Healer had said to him once. Maybe it would be bacta treating him today instead of the Force, but Kanan hoped that in time, they would be ready. Perhaps in the meantime the Force would help Ezra, everyone knew he needed it.

"Kanan? Kanan talk to me? Kanan!?" Hera's frantic voice burst through Kanan's thoughts, and he realised that he had been 'staring' into space for a number of minutes in his thoughts. He shook his head to clear it and looked into the Twi'lek's eyes, or would have done if he could see.

"Sorry, I was just thinking." He said sheepishly, and he could picture her expression even without his eyes. A light punch hit his chest and he smiled, pulling the offending arm around him.

"It's a shame." He whispered, bringing Hera close.

"What is?" She asked, and Kanan could feel her increasing heartbeat, could hear her breath catch. He brought her closer still.

"I was hoping that I'd be able to look into your eyes when I did this..." And with that he leaned in close, capturing her lips with his own. Hera gasped slightly before leaning into the kiss, deepening it. Kanan felt something that he hadn't felt since before they settled on Chopper Base. He felt happiness. He felt at peace.

The two continued, lost in each other's arms, until they broke away for breath. Again, Kanan could picture Hera's expression, as clear as day. Her lips apart, eyes shining. It almost made him sad that he couldn't see it. Almost.

"Well it's about time!" A young, clearly female, voice exclaimed. Sabine. Kanan had felt her presence earlier, and was just glad that the artistic teen had stayed quiet this long. Hera turned, blushing and attempting to look angry.

"Sabine Wren! What do you think you're doing?!" However, the act fell through almost immediately as the girl started to laugh.

"Chill Hera, I'm happy for you two. Now if you'll excuse me, I have some painting to do." And with that, the door closed and Kanan heard the patter of feet that was Sabine making her exit.

"What are you smiling at?" Hera asked. "You know what she's going to paint right?"

"Something artistic I suppose." He replied sarcastically.

"Well, seeing as her other project was finished by yesterday afternoon, she was probably out looking for inspiration. And what did she just walk in on?" Hera spoke slowly. Almost as if to a child, waiting for her counterpart to get the message. Sure enough, it sank in.

"Oh no." Kanan groaned, putting his hand up to his eyes, and then wincing and pulling it away. "This is not good at all."

\- Elsewhere on Chopper Base -

Up on the hills of the planet Atollon a lone figure rested. He was small, and preferred to sit on the soft sand that made the planet's surface than the jagged, cruel rocks around him. The hum of the sensors that formed the perimeter fence comforted him, reminding him that he wasn't alone, not truly. They were all here for a reason. The figure curled up slightly, knees drawn in and chin resting upon them. If someone was to glance quickly, he could almost be mistaken for a rock. Almost. The rhythmic movement of his breathing gave him away, deep gulping breaths that made it look like every one could be his last. His blue hair was the same as ever, if a bit more wild and untamed than usual, but his eyes gave him away. They were broken, dull and lifeless. Ezra was used to bad memories. They were common with a past like his. Not that he complained. In fact it was quite the opposite. He hadn't spoken to anyone about them. They weren't even dreams, so it wasn't a vision or anything. They had already happened and had already been horrible, so why would talking about it change that?

'But why do they still bother me?' He thought angrily, brushing his stray, deep blue fringe out of his eyes. He calmed himself. It was just guilt. Guilt and shame. Oh and just general terribleness. He could feel himself giving in to the anger, and it worried him. Not because he was doing it, but because he was ok with it. He should feel like this though, right? He was too weak. Too weak to save Ahsoka, to resist Maul. Everything on Malachor had been his fault. Sure no one said it aloud. Who would? But still he felt it.

Ezra took another deep breath, relaxing his body and channelling the Force. Kanan had said that using the Force cleanses emotions, and it was an effective release tool. Ezra tried that now. Exhaling, he lifted his hand, and the large rock formation in front of him shifted slightly. Gritting his teeth, Ezra pushed harder, not using his anger, but rather forcing it out of him. He would not be broken by this. Not today. The rocks continued to rise. With a yell and a final push, Ezra's hand flew outwards, propelling the rocks away from him, sending them careening off of the cliff face. A few Krykna spiders that had gathered around the fence chittered and backed off. Ezra ignored them, they couldn't get through the fence.

This was becoming a habit of the young padawan. He never spoke, not to anyone, and barely appeared for meals. Ezra seemed content to spend his time lurking in the dark, wallowing in self pity, guilt and sadness, far out of reach from the crew of The Ghost. He didn't even sleep on the ship anymore, preferring to lie on top of the base and look at the stars. It comforted him, but was strange too, as although it reminded him of home, these were different constellations from Lothal. The teen sighed, his head dipping once again to his knees, before stretching out and standing. He reached to his belt, where a lightsaber hung. It wasn't his of course, his had been destroyed by Vader. No, he had simply borrowed Kanan's. With his expert skills from his street days, Ezra had stolen it from his master's room whilst he was sleeping. A fresh wave of guilt washed over him, but this time because he had stolen from his friends. He shook it off and ignited the saber. At once, Kanan's bright blue blade sprung forth, almost like magic. Although Ezra understood completely how it worked and had owned one himself for several months, he couldn't help but marvel at it. He gave it an experimental swing and, deciding the blade too long, shortened it with the small dial on the side. He would put it back later. But now he would train.

He began with the basics, beginner exercises that were once complicated but now came naturally. Ezra settled into a low, balanced stance and closed his eyes. Conscious of his surroundings, he began a slow swing, each movement controlled with excruciating scrutiny. If he found a single fault in the grip, or a slight waver in the movement, he began again. After minutes of this exercise he sped up, each swing faster than the previous until he reached a point just below that of a battle. Then he switched, using a variety of swings in many directions. In Ezra's head it was Kanan adjusting his technique, reprimanding him and making corrections. He knew it wasn't, but it put his mind at ease. He had realised that by this point he would have to be self taught, as there was no guarantee that Kanan would continue his training if he regained his sight, and he sure as hell couldn't do it blind.

Eventually Ezra was satisfied with himself, and pulled a datapad from his bag that seemingly never left his side. On it, there were detailed descriptions of each form of lightsaber combat, and a few basic drills that Kanan and Ahsoka had scavenged from the Jedi holocron in Kanan's room. Of course there were more detailed lessons and movements, but they had never got the chance to practise them, and the ones they had practised weren't recorded. The one thing that Ezra had realised about lightsaber fighting, was that it wasn't set in stone. Sure, each combatant seemed to favour a specific style, but some differed and mixed, and there was no rule to say that one couldn't practise all of the styles, or even make up their own. Kanan and Ahsoka seemed to do just that. Ezra remembered the Grand Inquisitor telling Kanan that he favoured Form III to "a ridiculous degree" but had also picked up that his master used Form V too, as well as a limited amount of Form II. Ahsoka definitely used Form V, from what Ezra had seen, and she appeared to use Form VI, although she claimed it was something called "Jar'Kai", which was basically the same as far as Ezra could work out. Both Kanan and Ahsoka had put emphasis on analysing an opponent's Form, but had only demonstrated it singularly, never in a spar, which had disappointed the young Jedi.

He glanced at the datapad and was just about to select Form IV, which he had been told best suited him, when he felt a disturbance in the Force. Not a hostile disturbance, more of a familiar one. Wishing to avoid a confrontation with said person, Ezra shoved the pad into his backpack and took off, using the agility an acrobatic skills that had served him well over the past few years to scale the wall of the main building off the coming together base, laying flat on the roof. Daring to peek over, he saw a silhouette move away, shoulders slumped in disappointment, and for a moment felt bad. He shook it off and rolled over, staring at the sky. His eyelids began to feel heavy and before he knew it, Ezra Bridger was fast asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Redemption**

 **Hey guys, I know the updates aren't very frequent but they should start picking up soon. It's exams for me at the moment so hopefully chapters flow once I start study leave. Just as a little notice, my OC will be making an appearance within the next few chapters, sorry to any of you that don't like OC's. I'll try not to make him to overpowered and hopefully he should fit in with the story, and his pairing will be with Ahsoka so sorry to any Luxsoka fans out there but I had this pairing before Lux was even introduced in Clone Wars. Anyway, on with the chapter...**

Ezra woke to a lone Convor staring down at him. The bird-like creature had almost hypnotic pitch black eyes that seemed to capture starlight and reflect it back at him now even in the rising sun. It's brilliant golden-brown plumage shimmered as it shook irritably, apparently annoyed at his lack of willingness to get up. The Convor cawed at him, wrapping its tail around his wrist, lifting it up and letting it drop onto the roof as if trying to tell him something. The bird was large for one of its species, especially for one in the desert. Usually the animals reached 8 inches (about 20cm), 10 inches (25cm) at most, which was why they made such desirable pets. This particular one however, stood at roughly 20 inches (50cm) as far as Ezra could judge, perhaps a little bit more. It was actually a bit intimidating really, the creature's body was longer than Ezra's forearm, and the tail added another 2 feet by the looks of it, and the way its eyes seemed like they could see his soul... The Convor seemed to notice his studying, and stretched out its wings to give Ezra a good look at its impressive wingspan. At a guess, its wings were about 3 feet in total, meaning they were nearly double the length of its body. The underside of the wings were a soft golden-yellow that shone a morning glow on the young padawan's face, making his mouth split in a smile, one of the few since Malachor. The bird let Ezra bask in its glory for a moment before cawing gently and nudging the boy's arm.

"All right, all right, I'm getting up. Jeez, you're like Kanan." The young Lothalian complained, rising to all fours and pushing himself upright with great effort. His muscles protested, sore from the way he had simply cut off his training and fallen asleep on the hard metal of the base rooftop without a cool-down. Ezra cursed inwardly, realising that he hadn't got around to any serious work last night before he was interrupted. Deep down he knew who had come to see him, but he couldn't accept it somehow, not after what she had said to him. He replayed her parting words in his mind; by now they had been branded among his innermost thoughts.

 _"Don't expect a big welcome back party."_

Even now the words stung, and Ezra could still hear the vindictiveness hidden under Sabine's monotone that she had used when they last spoke.

 _'So why would she want to see me?'_ Ezra couldn't help thinking. _'Was it to rub salt in my wounds?_ '

Whatever the reason, Ezra pushed Sabine to the back of his mind. Thinking about it any more would just make it hurt. He resigned himself to a day of repetitive training, undertaken where he couldn't be disturbed of course, and jumped softly down from the roof almost forgetting this morning's companion that cawed balefully. He shrugged in apology, before setting off to the mess hall to grab some food early lest someone come in and attempt to engage him in another awkward conversation.

The mess hall was almost dismally under crowded when Ezra arrived, just he way he liked it as of late. The less people around, the less scrutinised he felt. He knew that the Ghost crew wished to speak to him, at least most of them did, and he felt certain that Rex wanted a word or two as well. Sighing, Ezra helped himself from the breakfast bar, feeling almost like he was on a depressing cruise ship with no tourists. It was surprising how well Alderaan could smuggle them supplies. But then again, being a planet full of well-off senators probably helped. More of a 'don't ask questions or I'll have you fired' kind of thing. Yet another thing that Ezra disliked about the Rebellion. All of its allies refused to make any sort of open action and simply hid behind hollow pledges. He would be surprised if any aid came from half of them, let alone the fighting forces that had been promised. The most so far had been a small group of resistance fighters from Naboo, claiming to know both Ahsoka and Rex. Ezra mulled things over as he ate in the shaded corner table that had become his haunt for meals. When he appeared for them of course. Lately the cooks had taken to just leaving a tray out for the young padawan with his name on a sticky note attached to it. He would have been insulted if he cared. It would all be on Kanan's orders he supposed, as the Rebellion only seemed to look after one another during firefights and on missions. There was no sense of togetherness within the ranks. Most crews just stuck to themselves, and it was rare to find any senior officers in the mess, save for Rex and Ahsoka. Well, just Rex now, Ezra reflected sadly.

One of the two entrances to the mess hissed open, jolting Ezra out of his rumination. In walked the very people that Ezra had been trying to avoid for the past two weeks. Actually, that had been everyone now that he thought of it, but this group he had avoided most of all. Hera and Kanan appeared together, Hera guiding Kanan and Kanan insisting that his Force Vision was getting better by the day and that he didn't need any help, then promptly stubbing his toe on the door frame before meekly accepting Hera's offered arm. Zeb attempted to stride in with his usual loping swagger, displaying bravado that he didn't have. The fact that his ears were flat against his head and his mouth was fixed in a forced smile didn't help matters. Sabine had her helmet on to mask her emotions, her Mandalorian protocol kicking in but her body language showing that she was less than happy, although Ezra found it hard to tell if it was anger or sadness or both. Girls had always been a mystery to Ezra and Sabine was no exception. This was merely one of the qualities that had attracted him to her, the fact that he couldn't get a read on her. Chopper wheeled in, annoying chirps and clicks mercifully absent. Rex brought up the rear, the old Captain looking a ghost of his former self as he numbly followed the group. He had taken Ahsoka's loss pretty hard, and had gone into a state much like Ezra had. The young padawan knew that the clone was running scenarios through his head, trying to find out where he went wrong, and repeating the fact that he never should have let them go over and over as if the mantra would bring Ahsoka back.

Ezra decided to make his exit and quickly deposited his tray on the layered turntable that was half in the kitchen and half out so people could leave their trays to simply spin around into the kitchen staff's expectant arms. He heard a shout behind him as he made his escape to solitude once again, and refused to turn back. If anything, it hardened his resolve.

Kanan sighed as he sensed Ezra's Force signature grow distant, meaning that yet again, his padawan was hiding from him. He just didn't know how to approach things anymore. It was like time had rewound itself and they were meeting for the first time, with Ezra being distant and reluctant to trust any of the crew. It was taking its toll on the occupants of the Ghost and the few rebels that had become close to Ezra before Malachor. Kanan knew that Sabine felt particularly bad, as she had divulged her harsh final words towards Ezra to both Kanan and Hera in the past couple of days. He could tell that she was facing a similar dilemma, as both Mandalorians and Jedi found it hard to discuss emotions and feelings. Well, at least this particular Mandalorian and Jedi. Hera was having no success either, as Ezra proved nearly impossible to find, let alone to get hold of him to speak to. Zeb was the only one that seemed content to leave the boy to himself. His reason for doing so wandered back into Kanan's thoughts.

"Look, we all have our way of gettin' over things Kanan. Look at you. You didn't exactly get over Order 66 in a couple of weeks now did ya? An' I know that I was a complete mess before I met you guys. So you can't expect the poor kid to be fine and want to talk about it." The Lasat had argued. "Ezra was already banged up before we found 'im. He still has nightmares for Ashla's sake!"

Here Kanan noted the use of the belief of the Lasats, Ashla, whom was considered a personification of the Force. Since finding Lira San the warrior had began to re-embrace his people and their traditions. With this in mind, Kanan realised that Zeb had a point, but his duty as Ezra's master along with the fatherly role he played in the boy's life meant that he had to be there for him. Whether Ezra wanted him or not. He shook it off and stood from the table that the group had just sat down at, ignoring the questioning looks he recieved, as well as Hera's offered arm as guidance, and took a few hesitant steps towards the door that Ezra had left through. Though he maintained the calm, collected and composed Jedi mannerism that was required of him, inside he was full of doubt and fear. Kanan knew that he was being irrational by expecting himself to have no fear, uncertainty or any doubt whatsoever, but he couldn't help but remembering that these were the emotions of a Sith-in-the-making. Although, now he thought of it, all Jedi did fear something. The younglings feared that they would never be chosen as padawans, and would be sent away from the Temple once they reached a certain age. The newer padawans were afraid that they would let their masters down, a fear that even more experienced padawans could sympathise with. The Jedi Knights were afraid of losing their padawans, and of guiding them down the wrong path, failing to teach them what they needed. It was at this point in the spectrum that Kanan now fell into. He was worried that he hadn't taught Ezra well enough. Maybe he should have skipped a few of the basics to teach the boy more of the advanced skills. He wondered what Master Yoda would have said had he been here.

 _'Probably something wise and meaningful, with an added life lesson thrown in if you could untangle the phrase.'_ Kanan thought. _'I wonder what Yoda was afraid of...'_ The thought stopped him in his already faltering steps. Fear, he decided. That would be what the Council feared. They would fear the very thing that they strived so hard to prevent, and in doing so created such nonsensical rules to abide by. Kanan shook his head to clear himself of such deep thoughts and focused on the task at hand. He was well aware of the concerned looks showing on the faces of the Crew. He was only slightly exaggerating his Force Vision, it truly was improving remarkably quickly, something he was sure Ahsoka would have picked up on had she been present. He had purposefully stubbed his toe earlier so as to avoid giving everyone false hope just in case he lost his connection to the Force. He had given up trying to explain the Force Vision to everyone. They could not understand how he could reach such a point where he could see without eyes, hence the constant offered hand, or the walking stick, something that Kanan had promptly Force thrown into the desert the moment it was placed in his hand. It was a strange thing, the Force Vision, as it gave everything in one colour. Thankfully it was a blue/grey tone, unlike the bright red that emerged every time that Kanan resurfaced from the Force. It was kind of like the Holo, but in greyscale, with everything recognisable but nothing in fine detail, as if the signal wasn't quite right. Kanan had assured himself that it would come in time, but until then he had to make do with outlines and the odd fuzzy image. As he strode towards and through the door that Ezra had used, Kanan tried to replicate his old stride, one of confidence and authority, yet one that exuded calmness and kindness. He couldn't tell if it worked or not, but he suspected that Hera wouldn't be fooled either way. Focusing, he tried to search for Ezra's signature, eventually locating it far away just inside the perimeter fence, and set off towards it.

If Ezra noticed his master's presence he did well to hide it. The boy barely moved an inch from the traditional cross-legged meditation pose favoured by padwans and younglings. Kanan was surprised that Ezra was taking such an approach, as by other incidents indicated, his style was to vent his frustration by throwing things or by combat practice. Although Kanan supposed that combat practice required the use of a lightsaber, which Ezra was now in need of, something he would have to remedy at the earliest opportunity. Taking a deep breath, Kanan sat down next to the blue-haired teen. For a moment, it was as if nothing had happened, and master and padawan were simply meditating together. Kanan was the first to break the silence.

"Hey," He greeted, wincing at how lame he sounded. "How come you didn't stick around at breakfast?" He tried ice-breakers first, attempting a normal conversation was the first challenge, as Ezra hadn't spoken in the two weeks since they had returned. The padawan opened his eyes and hesitated a moment before replying.

"I...I was finished." He spoke slowly, as if the words were new to him. "I didn't see a reason to stay." Kanan could tell that Ezra was trying to keep the exchange short, and resolved to turn the tables.

"So us calling out to you wasn't reason enough?" When Ezra stayed silent he continued. "Ezra if you hadn't noticed we want to help you. All of us." He added, as the boy's face had contorted slightly in disbelief. Kanan knew full well that he was thinking of Sabine, and possibly Rex.

"Look, I appreciate it, but I don't need your help. I'm better off on my own." The padawan said in monotone. Kanan could tell that he didn't believe any of what he'd said, and he had to bite back the response that built up regarding how Ezra didn't do too well on Malachor without help, but then felt ashamed and calmed himself.

"I know how you're feeling Ezra. No, seriously I do. More than most." Kanan said in a bitter tone, and Ezra looked up curiously. "I've never spoken to anyone about my past. Even Hera doesn't know all of it. And for good reason." He continued, oblivious to the unwavering stare he was receiving from his padawan. Kanan took a deep breath and began a tale.

"I met my master in a strange way. Strange by most standards that is. Less so when one is learned in the Force. But strange nonetheless. A single day away from the Jedi Initiate Trials, I decided to spar with my classmates. In hindsight it wasn't the best move to make, as even with Master Yoda of all Jedi watching over me, I managed to trip over and give myself a lovely cut on the head." Kanan stopped as he sensed Ezra's facial muscles twitch, something that could have been the beginnings of a smile. "Yoda sent me straight to the medical droids with the words 'Of your surroundings, you must be aware' ringing in my ears. Not my proudest moment. Anyway, by the time I got to the medical wing, on the other side of the Temple, it had stopped bleeding, and the droid dismissed me after a minute. Then I saw her. Depa Billaba, my future master, although I didn't know it at the time. She had fought General Grievous, someone we will look at in our lessons, six months prior to the event, and was in a coma contained in a bacta tank. Apparently, just as I left the room, she woke up." Ezra's eyes lit up in curiosity. "Ah, so you share the same opinion. That the Force had a hand in it?" When Ezra didn't respond, Kanan continued. "Well, the next day we had our Trials. Me and my two classmates passed. From there we were taken to a class on how a Jedi Knight selected a padawan. I, being known for my endless questions, asked some choice questions that Master Windu disapproved of, but the now-recovered Master Billaba found amusing. Are you seeing a common trait we share? My master, me, and now you, all had strategic minds that yearned for answers to questions that most didn't even think of. Ezra, regardless of how terrible you feel right now, I want you to know that you are every bit the Jedi I am. Maybe you haven't quite developed to my level or to that of my master, but you are definitely on the right path. Don't lose faith in yourself."

Ezra rolled his eyes slightly.

"Do you have a point to this other than 'I'm trying to tell you that you're still a good guy' or not Kanan?" He asked, attempting his old bravado, and falling short by some length.

"Believe it or not I do. But that's where the second part to my story comes in. The less than pleasant part." Kanan replied, a little irritated by Ezra's nonchalance. The boy realised the disrespect that he was showing not only Kanan, but Master Billaba, as he was sure that she hadn't survived Order 66, and hung his head slightly.

"From that lesson onwards, Master Billaba seemed to pay close attention to me. She instructed us in Form III later that day herself, and she always seemed to have something to talk about with whomever was teaching me. I later found that this was an excuse to shadow me and to get a feel for me. Eventually I confronted her. But not for the reasons you might think. A few of the clone troopers had started a rumour that Master Billaba was 'damaged goods' due to the attack by Grievous. I didn't really have a brain-to-mouth filter at that point, and I stupidly asked her about it. During the awkward conversation, an attack ensued on the Temple. I followed Master Billaba as she pursued the culprit and we managed to survive the attack. She then took me as her padawan. We fought many battles side by side from that point. The Clone Wars were fierce, as you have yet to learn, and not every battle was a win. However, the hardest battle was the last, against our own men. Men we had fought with, bled for, trusted." Ezra could sense Kanan tense, and if his eyes were still intact Ezra felt sure that he would see tears well up in them, as his master's voice was thick with emotion. "The moment Order 66 was issued, something rippled within the Force. Both my master and I felt it, and we turned just in time to save ourselves from the onslaught. We deflected bolt after bolt for what seemed like years. Then, the clones gave the order to surround us, and cut off our escape. My master turned to me and told me to run. I wish... I wish I could say that I defied her. That I stayed and fought. But I didn't. I ran, like a coward. They gave the command to hunt me down. As a few broke off to chase me, my master made a choice. She chose to protect me. She turned away from oncoming fire to kill the clones that were pursuing me. In doing so, she opened herself up to fire, and the commander that had previously been our loyal friend, murdered her. He fired shot after shot into my master, while I could only watch from afar. I know what you're going through Ezra. More than most." Kanan closed his mouth and drew in several deep breaths in meditation, clearly finished. It was a while before Ezra could find his voice.

"I... Kanan I'm so sorry." He choked, burying his face in his hands. And all of a sudden the words were flowing as freely as his tears. "It's all my fault, I should never have trusted Maul, I'm so sorry. Ahsoka, you, all of it, my fault." And then his words became incoherent between the deep, racking sobs. He felt Kanan's arms wrap around him in a fatherly manner.

"Ezra, Ezra look at me." He obeyed his master, attempting to dry his eyes in a futile effort. "That's not the reason behind all of this. I told you that story to make you realise that we all have moments when we hate ourselves, feel like we've done the unforgivable. When I left my master behind that night, I hated myself. I couldn't bare to return to the Temple. But I want you to know something. I did return. I ran across the planet for days, before stealing a ship and travelling to Coruscant, all because I knew it was what Master Billaba would want me to do. Admittedly I never actually reached the surface, due to the Jedi recall beacon activating but sending a message from Master Obi-Wan Kenobi telling us all to flee, but I still went back. I want you to do the same Ezra. Ahsoka would want you to come back to us, to continue your training, to fight the Empire. She would want you to resist Maul in every way you can. And what better way than to become the best Jedi you can be? That was my point." Kanan finished, and brought his padawan tighter in his arms. Ezra did nothing at first, but slowly realisation dawned in his eyes, and they regained their fire and passion. He looked up at his master for the first time since Malachor and smiled. His smile faltered as he realised that Kanan couldn't see this, but almost immediately its was brought back by a few simple words.

"It's good to see you smile again Ezra." Kanan said, smiling himself and reading his padawan's confusion.

"Your Force Sight?! It's getting better!" The blue-haired teen exclaimed, with emotion that hadn't appeared in his voice for weeks. "So when do we start? How do we start? Wait, what about the others?" He questioned relentlessly, his throat actually hurting from the dramatic increase in talking. Kanan held up his hand for quiet, and Ezra paused for breath, anticipation building.

"Tomorrow." Ezra's master finally said. "We start tomorrow, and I mean 'we'. I need some practice with my Force Sight, something tells me I won't be able to pull off that duel with Maul again if I tried." Ezra laughed at that, before putting on an old, mysterious voice.

"Do or do not, there is no try." The padawan croaked in a poor imitation of Master Yoda, and the pair laughed again. Ezra was still hurting inside, and was putting on a much braver show than his feelings suggested, but in time he realised everything would be ok. It just needed time.

 **There will be some Ezra and Sabine moments to come, fear not, but I felt that Kanan should have the first crack at Ezra. Hope you enjoyed, see you next time.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Healing**

 **Hey guys, me again! Exams, prom, after prom and school are all over now, leaving me with plenty of time to get writing, although I will be spreading my time over another fic as well as another project that I'm working on. Here's a hint: I'm trying to write a book! I apologise in advance, because there's quite a bit of location-flitting, but anyway yeah, here's another chapter, hopefully this is all to your liking...**

 **PS: Please read the bold at the bottom, it's quite important.**

It was a strange feeling for Kanan, to know that his padawan was on the mend but still insisted upon sleeping outside. Although habits die hard, he supposed, and the youngest member of their crew had just gotten used to avoiding everyone, so he couldn't be expected to just return all of a sudden. The two had talked extensively yesterday, and the day had begun to turn into the evening. Before they had parted for dinner, Ezra had begged Kanan not to speak to any of the crew about their talk, and insisted that Kanan pretend he hadn't found the boy. Against his better judgement, he agreed, reminding himself that it would take time for Ezra to heal. It would take time for all of them. So he had returned to the Ghost looking dejected and disheartened, listened to the consoling words of Hera, Zeb and Sabine, and then gone to meditate, attempting to skip dinner before Hera had dragged him along anyway, a sight that Zeb and Sabine had found most amusing. In actual fact, Kanan was trying to sense around the room for any spare lightsaber parts for Ezra to rebuild his, but to no avail. The boy had used them all in his first design, and although it had served him well, there was no way that he could build another.

Kanan didn't sleep much that night, and spent a lot of time meditating, asking the Force for advice. If the Force heard him, then it ignored his plea, and he could feel himself getting frustrated. So, in the early hours of the morning, Kanan roused himself and left the Ghost for the training hall of the compound, but not before looking for is lightsaber. He wasn't surprised that he couldn't find it, as he had a feeling Ezra had taken it the night before they had spoken, and assumed that the boy had merely forgotten to give it back with all that had happened. It was probably better that the padawan had it, as he was the only one that could use it efficiently, but Kanan would need it back to practice himself. With a heavy heart and tired eyes, Kanan set out for the training hall, making s little noise as possible and leaving a note for the crew when they woke up.

-The Training Hangar-

The training hall was in fact just a large, empty hangar that the rebellion had chosen to train in. Set up towards the edge of Chopper Base, the hall was large, around a thousand meters wide and two hundred and fifty meters deep, and held room for an improvised shooting range and plenty of floor space to construct battle scenarios or to spar on. It was in this space that Kanan found Ezra this morning, with his new gym bag containing his work out clothes. The boy wore a black, short sleeved training top that was quite form fitting so he didn't have to worry about baggy shirts flapping around, and some loose, black gym shorts that fell to just above his knees. Ezra had forgone his usual brown boots today in exchange for some lighter trainers that were slightly less cumbersome and allowed the boots to air out. Kanan had noticed that because his padawan had grown up on the streets, he didn't see the need to change clothes, and the fact that he was wearing his workout stuff today was enough to draw a small sigh of relief from the Jedi Knight, as it meant he had cleared his uniform of hidden items and it could now finally be washed. When exactly Ezra had stolen in to reclaim his gym bag however, was a mystery. Kanan supposed it might have been when he first left the ship, but decided that it had to have been last night while everyone else was at dinner, as the teen was still reluctant to come into contact with anyone. The boy in question was currently holding a plank position as part of the training regime that they had set up for him. Between Rex, Ahsoka and Kanan himself, they had agreed upon something. Rex insisted that Ezra complete basic soldier training, which he would oversee, and that the blue-haired Lothalian perform physical training, not just lightsaber combat and Force training. Having fought in the Clone Wars, both Kanan and Ahsoka had agreed. That left the two Jedi to focus on Ezra's actual Jedi training. They had both become mentors to the boy, even though Ahsoka still maintained that Kanan was Ezra's true master, and she only had input after Kanan had spoken, leaving it to him to actually teach. Seeing as Ahsoka was not present, and Rex was still out of it, Ezra had obviously decided to continue his own training, something that Kanan was pleased with. He stood just out of Ezra's peripheral vision and read the body language from what his Force Vision gave him. The boy's arms were barely shaking, and he was certain that Ezra had been this way for a number of minutes. It was a good sign, as it meant that Ezra was still fit to continue Jedi training, and they wouldn't have to spend much time on cardio and muscular training.

"I know you're there Kanan." Ezra panted as the exercise began to take its toll on him.

Kanan smiled. "Good, that means you're alert even when under physical strain. It's definitely an improvement over last time."

The padawan blushed in embarrassment and ducked his head so that all Kanan would see was the mop of blue hair, if he were able to see that is. "Yeah, I thought we weren't mentioning that again?"

Kanan laughed as he remembered the event. He had walked in on Ezra's training with Rex and stood there for an entire hour until the boy had noticed him. "Yeah well, times change kid, I needed a laugh."

"Yeah, you and me both." Was the reply as Ezra got up. They both sobered a minute before Ezra broke the silence. "Oh here, master. I'm sorry I kinda stole it, but I was gonna bring it back! I just sorta, forgot." It took a while for Kanan to realise that Ezra was giving back the lightsaber ad apologising for taking it. He pushed it back into the boy's hands.

"Keep it, you'll need it more than me right now." Ezra's eyes grew wide as he realised that Kanan had just given up his only reminder that he was a Jedi, just so his padawan could have a lightsaber.

"...I... Thanks Kanan, I know this means a lot to you. I promise I'll take good care of it." Ezra stammered. Kanan held up his hand to quieten the boy.

"It's fine. Now, I want these first few sessions to be light ok? We're both recovering in our own way, and I could benefit from the practice with my new, way of seeing." The mentor instructed. Ezra nodded, glad to have his master back. It felt like he was rebuilt. Like a part of him that was lost had been returned. He hadn't realised how much he had missed Kanan these past couple of weeks. How much he had missed everyone.

"So... What first Master Jarrus?" Ezra asked, lightening the tone with the use of Kanan's last name, and the traditional Jedi bow.

The Jedi Knight smiled at the gesture before replying. "I was thinking that I need to move a little faster than a walk if I'm going to be of use to anyone. What say you, young padawan?" He teased. Ezra's eyes regained some of their sparkle, not that Kanan would notice, as he grinned.

"That sounds fantastic!" He spoke in a foppish accent. "Where should we good Jedi start?"

"I was thinking just around the hall for a few minutes, then we'll take this thing cross country." Kanan replied, feeling more like a master, and a father, than he had these past few weeks without Ezra. The two began to slowly walk around the hall, before speeding up into a brisk jog. Kanan had some difficulty here, as he kept banging into things due to the increased speed, meaning less reaction time. However, they found that the past way to combat this was with each other's company. Talking kept both heads clear, and made it funny instead of maddening when Kanan slipped or hit something. Eventually they reached something between a run and a sprint, and Kanan could tell that Ezra was getting bored.

"Hey kid?" Kanan called as they slowed down. "I've got an idea." Ezra stopped, curious as to what his master wanted to try, and relieved that there wouldn't be any more mindless running. In response to Ezra's questioning thoughts that entered the Force and directed themselves towards Kanan, the older Jedi raised his arms, channelling the Force. The endless supply of crates and objects around the room began to float, rearranging themselves in a haphazard array around the circuit they had been running. Ezra turned to Kanan with wide eyes, and although Kanan could not see truly, his Force Vision picked up enough details on his padawan's face to cause him to chuckle.

"Not out of the business yet kid, now why don't you try it out?" He smiled. Ezra hesitated, confused as to what Kanan meant. Then it clicked. An obstacle course. Kanan wanted to run alongside him as he completed it so he wouldn't be bored. Ezra smiled and quickly hugged his master, letting go once the hug had reached the point where it was no longer 'manly'.

"Thanks Kanan." He said, before taking off in a leap that cleared the tall array of crates, landing on the topmost. Looking down at the course, Ezra was impressed. Some of the planks and crates were balanced so perfectly that if you made the mistake of stepping on them wrong, or even at all, they would topple. There were tiny gaps to squeeze through and other areas that looked as though they would require a bit of thought to get through. Ezra felt his stomach tighten in excitement.

"Ready when you are master!" He shouted down. He saw Kanan nod and then set off at a jog. He knew that Kanan's Force Vision would allow him to see his position no matter where, as the Force showed the signature of living matter. He waited a few seconds before taking off through the course, allowing a laugh to escape his lips for what felt like the first time in forever. As they ran they called out to each other, helpful advice, teasing comments, jokes, anything. Ezra imagined that they must look quite a sight to any passers by, but this early in the morning there wasn't likely to be anyone around. Eventually Ezra had ran the course multiple times using a variety of routes, so Kanan decided to test his padawan. Just as Ezra was about to jump across a series of crates spanning a gap of roughly fifty meters, they moved erratically. Ezra looked down at his master to see Kanan stood with his hands extended and grinned.

"No Force jumps!" Called the mentor, sensing what Ezra was about to do. The boy laughed and pretended to pout.

"But why nooooooot?" He whined. He knew he could beat the obstacle regardless, but it was fun to tease each other. When Kanan only raised an eyebrow, Ezra knew it was time to move. He jumped, but not in the direction his master expected. Instead of aiming for one of the now-moving crates, Ezra hit the wall, kicked off it, and landed on a crate further down.

"Improvisation! Good!" Kanan encouraged from below, whilst making more crates move. The ones behind Ezra dropped as Kanan focused on the others. Kanan didn't want him to have too much of an easy time, as instead of simply moving from side to side, the crates floated in all kinds of directions. Suddenly Ezra spotted his chance. A chain that ended in a hook was dangling a way above him. The chain was attached to a pulley system that was designed to move all around the hangar (kind of like the way a claw machine at the arcades works, except it moves a lot smoother). He flung himself towards it and grabbed the hook. Kicking off a nearby crate, Ezra flew forwards as if on a zip line, past a majority of the crates that had no viable pathway through. He looked down to see Kanan smiling up at him, and let out a yell of exhilaration. He could see the end of the floating crates now, and let go of the hook with a whoop, dropping quickly through the air. Two crates came towards him from either side, and Ezra turned, kicking off the closest and flipping sideward over the other. He finished the whole thing by dropping swiftly to the ground in a superhero pose, igniting Kanan's lightsaber for added effect. Kanan clapped sarcastically.

"Very nice." He complimented. "Seriously, good job. I'm proud of you." Ezra turned away slightly in embarrassment, although slightly pleased with the compliment.

"Well, I do try my hardest to please." He drawled in a cocky manner, causing Kanan to chuckle and shake his head. Ezra was quick to change the topic.

"What about you though? You were keeping up pretty well there for a handicapped pensioner." He jibed, before cringing slightly at how harsh he sounded. Kanan turned, but without the scowl that Ezra was expecting. Instead, his master flashed him a grin.

"We'll see who the 'handicapped pensioner' is when you've caught me up." He said before taking off out of the hangar door, following through with his promise of a cross country run. Ezra sighed.

"I should have seen that coming." He complained, before chasing his master out of the door.

Unbeknownst to either Jedi, someone had been watching. They had not seen Kanan rush out the door, simply showing up in time to see Ezra dash outside. The person reached to the belt at their waist and pulled out a comlink. Holding it up to their mouth, they spoke.

"I've located the target, meet me at the training hangar."

In a flash of green and orange, they were gone.

-The Mess Hall-

If you'd asked the occupants of the Mess Hall if they had seen Ezra Bridger, they would have said "No" any day. Any day but today. The blue-haired padawan rushed through the door panting like a worn out Garral, with his master only a few paces behind. The entire hall seemed to move in slow motion as the two sped across, weaving around people and tables alike in a desperate bid to outrun the other. The destination seemed to be the Caf machine in the far corner, and many frantically removed themselves from the vicinity of the drinks dispenser to get out of the way. With a final effort, Ezra slid under the length of one of the benches, causing feet to be lifted and protests to be heard. The padawan got up, apologised, and then turned to gloat over his victory. He stopped as he was tapped on the shoulder and groaned.

"How did you do it this time?" Ezra said between dramatic sighs. He turned to see Kanan smirking victoriously, something which Ezra found amusing given that half of his master's face was still wrapped in white.

"Force jump kid, propels forwards, not just up." He informed the boy. Ezra's shoulders slumped.

"Fine," He said. "I'll stay and eat lunch with you. Stupid bet."

Kanan smiled and gestured for the padawan to sit next to him. Reluctantly Ezra took a seat as people turned back to their meals after such an outburst.

"Ezra? Do you want to wait for the crew or eat before they get here?" Kanan asked gently, already guessing the answer. The boy looked startled, but then his expression changed to one of thoughtfulness. It was evident to Kanan that his padawan was fighting an internal battle, but perhaps that was because he could sense his emotions and a certain selection of simple thoughts due to their bond. After all, any further would have been a breach of Ezra's privacy. Finally, the battle died down, and Ezra lifted his head slightly, his decision made.

"Why not?" The boy replied, shocking Kanan, who had expected Ezra to put it off as long as possible. "The sooner it's over and done with, the sooner everything goes back to normal right?" He continued, and Kanan smiled, wrapping an arm around the blue-haired teen, who leaned ever so slightly into his shoulder. Just then, it dawned upon Kanan that he was supposed to be somewhere. He stood up, dragging Ezra with him.

"Good, because I, and by extent you, are late. And Hera will not be happy. At all." Kanan said, bringing his questioning padawan up to speed. The Lothalian's eyes widened, and his pace increased, matching Kanan's.

"Where are you supposed to meet her?" He asked as they jogged towards the other end of the base, where the ships and quarters were.

"Ghost." Was all that Kanan said as they rounded a corner and continued.

-The Main Hangar-

The two Jedi arrived smoothly, if you could call dashing across the hangar and coming to an abrupt stop at the Ghost smooth. The two shared a relieved smile, the fact that Hera had not been waiting outside seemed a good omen. Once they had regained their breath, Ezra traced his hand on the freighter, lost in thought. His pattern carried him round the other side of the ship, and Kanan sensed him go with a smile. A smile that soon disappeared.

"KANAN JARRUS! Where have you been!" Thundered Hera, storming through the hangar flanked by Zeb and Sabine, both of whom sent apologetic glances Kanan's way. Kanan sighed, he should have known it wouldn't be this easy. Love never was. Pushing his philosophical thoughts aside, Kanan took a breath. But before he could get a word in, Hera started again. "A note? Seriously Kanan? I get a note from a blind man that was barely legible telling me that you've gone for a walk?! Do you know how much worry that caused?" She fumed. "And you knew what today was too!" Kanan would have blinked in surprise.

"Umm, sorry, was it our anniversary?" He guessed hopefully. Sabine and Zeb had to hide their laughter at the pair, and round the other side of the Ghost, Hera's voice shook Ezra out of his reverie. Hera simply sighed.

"No it was not Kanan. But it's almost as important. Today, we were going to get Ezra back. Even if it meant dragging him to the Mess ourselves. Something you would have been a part of if we hadn't had to break off to look for you when you didn't answer your com." She glared at him, causing him to back away. "Now he's probably nowhere near the Training Hangar. We'll have to start again." She sighed, looking desperate and sad. Kanan, on the other hand, wanted to laugh out loud. At least the arrangements he had made for their anniversary were for the right date, although he wasn't sure how he could get that date wrong. It was etched into his mind clearer than his own birthday. And she was so worried about her plan that she hadn't even noticed that he was with Ezra all morning.

"Well, you see, errr, I..." He began, quailing under a fierce glare, that provided yet more laughter from Zeb and Sabine. Kanan sent a quick plea for help to Ezra through their bond in the Force, and after a hesitant response, he started again.

"I've got something to show you." He said, more confident than before.

"Oh really?" The Twi'lek replied, curiosity winning out over anger at the change in Kanan's tone. "This better be worth it, Kanan."

 _'Come on Ezra, now's the time.'_ Kanan thought, hoping his padawan would get the message. "Oh it is, trust me." Just as planned, Ezra casually strolled around the other side of the Ghost, looking no more out of place than he would have three weeks ago.

"Hey guys." The padawan tried, projecting more confidence than he felt into his greeting, even though his voice was a little raspy, not being used to the amount of talking he had done today. The crew, minus Kanan, gaped at him in shock. The Jedi could practically see the cogs in Hera's brain working overtime, as Ezra joined Kanan's side and the two smirked. Then, Ezra was roughly pulled into an embrace by an emotional pilot, who practically sobbed into his shoulder in her happiness. Eventually she pulled back, holding him at arms length to inspect him as any mother would inspect her son that had just returned from a long trip. He looked too thin, she decided, but that wasn't going to be the first thing she said to him.

"Welcome back Ezra." She choked out, before turning to Kanan and landing a punch on his arm. "And that, Kanan, is for disappearing to see Ezra without me." She attempted a glare, but Kanan just smiled and wrapped her in a hug, which she gladly went into. Ezra smiled at the display between the two, before turning nervously to Sabine and Zeb. Zeb came forward first.

"Good to see ya, Lothrat." The big Lasat smiled, ruffling Ezra's hair in a brotherly way. Ezra smiled at the sudden drop in tension, and playfully slapped Zeb's hand away from his head.

"You too Zeb." The padawan said, happy to have his family back. Finally, Ezra turned to Sabine. The temperature in the room dropped at the icy glare she gave him. Ezra's heart plummeted. This would be where she said she still hated him, that she didn't care that he was back. He was already cringing away when she spoke.

"Three weeks, Bridger. Three weeks! And all you have to say for yourself is 'hey'?! Atin di'kut! What were you thinking?!" She exploded, but Ezra couldn't help but notice the concern in her eyes, and his hope grew a little. There was still the matter of her ranting at him, but she was just venting.

"Sabine Wren!" Hera broke in. "What were _you_ thinking?! The last thing Ezra needs right now is you yelling at him. Now come on, lunch. Now Sabine." Hera added, as Sabine had started to pull away. The pilot dragged the angry Mandalorian girl away, speaking to her more quietly now, leaving the three boys to themselves.

"Now what d'ya suppose they're talkin' about?" Zeb asked in amazement. Kanan shook his head.

"No idea, why don't we ask the Lady Killer himself? Ezra? Any ideas?" Kanan said, a hint of teasing in his voice. Ezra turned with wide eyes.

"What did I do?" He complained. "Why are girls so complicated?" The other two chuckled.

"I think you're in the wrong place to ask for help kid." Zeb said. "Between the two of you, it's a wonder Hera survives." He laughed, and the Jedi soon joined him. They began to make their way to the Mess, where Hera and Sabine would surely meet them once they had finished their little chat. Ezra had to ask though.

"So, you know she yelled at me?" He started, and the other two stopped to look at him. "Is that a good sign? Like, it means she cares right?" He questioned, drawing a laugh from the older two.

"She cares Ezra, there's no doubt there. Whether the yelling was a good sign or not, that remains to be seen." Kanan replied. And on that cryptic note, he and Zeb walked away, leaving Ezra more confused than before.

"Hey guys, wait up!" He called, chasing after them. Ezra couldn't help but feel that everything was going right. That he was mending, healing.

-Mess Hall-

The tension in the air was thick as Hera and Sabine re-joined the boys at their table in the Mess. Zeb had informed Ezra that Rex had some training to finish up with some new troops, and so couldn't make it to sit with them. In a way, Ezra was glad, as he wasn't sure that the old clone was happy with him, but then the other part of him wanted the captain to be present so he could gauge the mood. Turning back to the mood at hand though, Ezra could feel that something wasn't right. A quick glance at Kanan confirmed that there was something up, as the older Jedi's face was masked in a neutral expression as he watched the two girls make their way over. Hera slid into the seat next to Kanan, getting as close as possible to her source of comfort, and Kanan happily obliged, immediately murmuring in her ear. Sabine however, looked as though she was ready to burst. Ezra shared a worried glance with Zeb as the Mandalorian threw herself into the seat opposite Ezra and next to the Lasat like a stroppy teenager. Then again, Ezra mused, she kind of was. Zeb attempted to relieve the unease created so suddenly with a hopeless effort at conversation.

"We, ah, we got you guys some grub." He began, a little nervously, glancing between their resident pilot and explosives artist. Hera broke off from her talk with Kanan to smile at the former Honour Guard member.

"Thank you Zeb, I see you remembered our favourites." She joked. There was only ever one thing on the menu at lunch, as the rebellion couldn't afford to be too picky with what they ate. Zeb chuckled and turned back to his food.

"Yeah, thanks." Sabine added at a glare from Hera, stabbing at her plate with far more force and vindictiveness than necessary. Hera looked at Kanan as if to say 'you see?', and Ezra suddenly felt uncomfortable. So much for a happy family. He kept his head down and ate quickly, scooping up his plate and cup when he was done.

"Ezra? Where are you going?" Asked Hera. She seemed a little hurt that he was so eager to get away from their first meal back together.

"Umm, I..." He started, glancing around in a frantic attempt to find a excuse.

"It's ok Hera, I said he could go back to training when he was done, he wanted to get a few more sets in before we moved on, and then I remembered that I had to meet you so we had to cut short." Kanan lied smoothly, his face impassive. Hera looked at him suspiciously, but at meeting his eyes she relented.

"Ok," She said. "Don't work yourself too hard, especially after you've just eaten." She warned, as a mother might do her son.

"I won't." Ezra replied hesitantly, walking away as casually as he could. "See ya." As he walked further and further away from the group, his pace increased. By the time he got out of the door, Ezra was in a sprint.

"Ahem." Hera coughed politely, nodding her head towards the door ever so slightly and looking pointedly at Sabine. However, the proud teenager had other ideas.

"No." She said simply. Sabine was prideful, just like any other Mandalorian, and although a small part of her knew that she needed to make an apology to Ezra for what she had said both before and after the trip to Malachor, she was too angry to do so. The anger wasn't entirely directed at Ezra though. Sabine was angry at a lot of things. She was angry that the rebellion had simply let the three Jedi leave, angry that Kanan had made the choice to leave as well as Ezra. Angry at Ezra, of course, for leaving and then coming back and avoiding them. Angry at herself for being so harsh on him, and that she was too powerless to stop him from going. Since Ezra had supposedly come back these thoughts had been flying around the artist's head. And anger such as this was dangerous when bottled up. It made people behave irrationally, leading inevitably to disaster. All of this pent up anger in Sabine's head suddenly changed. No longer was it aimed at all kinds of people. It all directed straight to the one that she had been angry at last. And that person had just left the room.

"On second thoughts," She said. "Maybe I should go and talk to him." But talking wasn't entirely what she had in mind. She rose from the table before anyone could question her sudden change of heart and strode purposefully towards the Training Hangar, where Ezra had supposedly gone.

"Well that went better than I expected." Said Hera in a relieved tone. Kanan, however, made a face.

"I don't know Hera, something was up with her." He said, replaying Sabine's words in his head. His Force Vision had chosen this time to act up again, so he had been unable to make out more than the girl's outline, rendering any facial expressions useless to him. Zeb shook his head.

"You worry too much Kanan, I'm sure they'll be alright. It's Ezra and 'Bine we're talkin' about. If anythin', he'll accept whatever comes out of her mouth and then make nice again." He cackled, referring to Ezra's not-so-mild-and-unnoticeable infatuation with the second youngest member of their crew. Kanan reluctantly smiled as Hera chuckled.

"See Kanan? They'll work things out." She said, placing her hand on his shoulder to placate him.

"Alright," Kanan replied. "If you say so." He held up his hands in a defeated gesture before returning to his meal.

 **And there we have Chapter 4! Now, I am aware that the trailer for Season 3 surfaced recently and I am thrilled! It looks amazing! Different, but amazing. Unfortunately, it doesn't fit with the story I have planned, so when Season 3 comes out in the fall my story will cease to be canon which is a shame. I'll try to incorporate some of the teasers we were given like the colour of Ezra's new saber and both his and Sabine's new hair styles, but a majority will not be canon. I could go ahead and copy up the episodes and insert my OC's and any other bits I would like, but I think that a lot of you, myself included, would prefer that I didn't do that. So please don't yell at me when this becomes non-canon. Anyway, see ya next time!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: Fights and Flashbacks**

 **Hey guys and gals! I'm so grateful to all of you that have shown your support for my work, it really means a lot! I've decided to push back the introduction of my OC for a few chapters so I can lengthen and detail the rest of the fic a bit more, not that that will bother you I'm sure, because many people dislike OC's especially when they belong to someone else. Anyway, I know a lot of you are waiting for the Sabezra to get started, and this chapter will definitely see some, but maybe not in the way you think. On that note let's kick off the new chapter!**

-The Training Hangar-

Ezra tried to calm himself as he entered the Training Hangar. He noticed that the huge main doors had been opened, meaning that the A.C was probably shot again, or the others were doing a new drill. He remembered Zeb telling him that Rex was still here with some recruits, and cautiously looked around. Finally, he spotted the clone captain, over by the shooting range instructing two classes at once. One class was working with the range and the other was practising their close combat skills close by. Ezra was impressed by the way Rex handled both classes with ease, turning periodically from one to the other to adjust the session, turning up the difficulty of the range or putting the combatants into teams to test them further, always calling out advice. He supposed that back in the Clone Wars, Rex would have done a similar thing, except his trainees would be more disciplined and well practised. Kanan had taught Ezra a little about how the lives of the clones went so Ezra didn't seem rude or disrespectful to Rex by saying the wrong thing. Apparently the clones had their growth rapidly increased, reaching maturity in half the time a normal human would, and were given almost free reign in the field of creative thinking, but would still follow nearly every order to the letter. It amazed Ezra that Rex, Wolfe and Gregor had rebelled against that process and had removed the chips that made them follow orders shortly before the clones betrayed the Jedi. Rex had once told him that there may be others that managed the same, but the chances of finding them were slim. Almost as if the old clone had sensed his presence, Rex turned and spotted him. Ezra inwardly cringed, ready for the captain to yell at him but instead recieved a wave. He hesitantly waved back before Rex seemed to get an idea.

"Ezra," He called. "Would you come over and help me a minute?" Ezra considered saying no, but with the eyes of both classes suddenly locked on him he found it impossible to decline.

"Umm, sure Rex, what do you need?" The boy questioned, ambling over, secretly pleased that the clone was being nice to him.

"I want you, as our resident Jedi-in-training, to help out with some hand-to-hand and close quarters training. You feel up to it?" Rex asked, sounding evermore the proud captain of the Grand Army of the Republic again. Just as Ezra was about to answer, he was interrupted.

"What can he hope to teach us? He's just a boy!" Someone said, rather rudely. There was a sudden bout of laughter from the man's friends, who seemed to share his opinion before they were silenced with a glare from Rex.

"Front and centre, soldier!" Rex barked, and the perpetrator was not stupid enough to refuse. As he made his way forward, Ezra studied the man. He had a strong looking build, as if he had visited the gym enough to gain enough muscle for girls to notice him, but had stopped after that. His hair was a dark red, styled as only a wealthy person's could be, unless you were Sabine, and his eyes betrayed his boredom. They were a dark brown, if not black, and he wore seemingly expensive light combat gear. He carried himself arrogantly, seeming far too cocky and acted like he already knew that he was better than everybody here. Ezra would prove him wrong.

"Recruit, meet Ezra Bridger. Ezra, meet Markus Madine, new transfer from Alderaan." Rex informed the pair. Ezra stifled a groan. Of course the arrogant, self-proclaimed superior ones come from Alderaan. He needed a word with Senator Organa. Rex seemed to share his opinion, but said nothing of it, instead carrying on.

"Now, since you have so kindly volunteered, Madine, you can face Ezra in armed combat." Rex scowled, irritated by the young man's lack of interest and air of superiority. Madine smirked, believing himself to be a match for Ezra, who simply turned away from his opponent to Rex.

"You're sure about this?" He asked, which Madine took in a different manner.

"What's the matter Jedi? Scared?" He taunted. Ezra remained calm, refusing the bait and again speaking to Rex.

"Weapons?" The padawan asked out of interest. Rex grinned and pulled a cylindrical object out of the crate next to him, tossing it to Madine, who fumbled the catch. Ezra hid a smirk, very poorly as it seemed, as Madine scowled and held up what Ezra could now identify as a practise saber. He often used these with Kanan and Ahsoka, as the low power allowed them to land hits on each other without shearing off limbs. They were next to useless in a real battle, and so Ezra couldn't exactly use them as his new lightsaber, but they were good enough to train with. Kanan had said that these were what younglings would have trained with in the Temple. Rex tossed Ezra the second out of the three they had, and he caught it with one hand, removing Kanan's from his belt with the other, handing it to Rex as he maintained eye contact with his opponent. Madine seemed to be waiting for something as the tension built before Ezra realised what it was. Madine couldn't work a saber. The padawan almost doubled over as laughter escaped his lips. Eventually he calmed down, glancing at the scowling Madine.

"Button on the side, press it once." He told the man, who looked unhappy at being shown up but did as he was told. The blade sprang forth, surprising Madine, who jumped slightly before waving the blue blade in front of him. Ezra couldn't help but feel a small amount of pity for his opponent, who clearly hadn't used this weapon before in his life, while Ezra had been training for over a year with his own blade. The guy didn't know what was coming to him, while Rex and Ezra certainly did. Madine gave the saber a few experimental swings and then glanced at Ezra, settling into a fighting stance that the boy's keen eyes began to pick apart immediately, something that all of his mentors in the rebellion had encouraged. The recruit's legs were too close together, giving him less manoeuvrability. A simple jump over him and Madine would find himself unable to turn around quickly enough to deal with a saber to the back. Madine's arms were the opposite, they were far too wide apart. Although this would help his balance, the recruit was leaving his guard weak, and a couple of decent defence-breaking attacks would crumble his resolve and send the man sprawling. His eyes were looking in the wrong place, fixed on Ezra's left hand, where the saber remained dormant, when in actual fact he should be looking at Ezra himself. Body language was a big part of reading an opponent, telling you when they would attack and how they might do it, and someone's eyes often gave away similar things. Ezra took this all in within a matter of seconds, his training with Rex, Kanan and Ahsoka paying off. A few months ago it would have taken minutes to do this. Minutes were not easy to come by in a lightsaber duel, especially not ones of rest. Everything tended to happen in bursts, leaving fractions of seconds to respond. In response to Madine's shift in position, Ezra closed his eyes. While in a real duel this would be a monumental mistake, Ezra saw this as a chance to try things out. There was no way that Madine would beat him, so he could afford to take risks, perhaps humble the man a little.

"These weapons are nowhere near lightsabers." Rex spoke. "They are extremely low power and belong to the Jedi of this base. So if you think for one second that you can take one and use it in battle, you are sorely mistaken. Not only will you have stolen from our best fighters, you will have likely doomed yourself and your squad. These sabers are not strong enough to compete with a real lightsaber, or even a blaster bolt. Don't make that mistake." He said gravely. "Now, as they are low power, these two will be able to hit each other as hard as they want as much as they want, and all they'll receive is a jolt, some numb body parts and plenty of bruises in the morning. All right! When you're ready boys." And with that the captain stepped back out of the way, retreating to the two classes that had gathered to watch the duel. The two combatants started to circle each other.

 _'Well this is refreshing.'_ Ezra thought sarcastically. _'It's not like nearly every duel ever starts this way or anything.'_ The young Jedi was starting to get bored with this method of starting duels, and resolved to shake things up a little. He abruptly stopped circling, saber still deactivated, and glanced at Madine. His opponent noticed the change and mirrored it, albeit it with his lightsaber still activated. For a moment there was only the gentle hum of the saber and the whirring of the generators in the building. Ezra felt alive though. Training on his own was good and all, but a real fight was so much better. He could feel the tension in Madine's body as the man prepared himself for the attack he was sure would come. So Ezra did the opposite. And jumped. Straight up. Into the rafters of the hangar, content to see what Madine's next move would be. The recruits followed the jump with slack jaws. Rex merely shook his head.

"Ezra!" Barked the clone. "Enough! I want you to take this seriously! This isn't the kind of training where you get to test your fancy moves, get back down here!" Ezra felt instantly ashamed. Rex was right, he needed to take this seriously. This wasn't the Jedi way at all. Kanan would have said the same. Rex spoke again as Ezra dropped down, forgoing the superhero pose this time. "I brought you over here to set an example, to show them who you are, who they're fighting with, and you give me that? Try again, this time take it seriously." The captain finished. Ezra could hear the recruits sniggering at him, and the smirk on Madine's face annoyed him. Keeping his anger in check, he stepped forward, readying himself. He could see what Rex was trying to do. With Ahsoka gone and Kanan blind, Ezra was the only Jedi that the rebellion had that could still fight, at least for the time being. He needed to show that he was still the hard-hitter that the three of them were known to be. To inspire them. Madine was till smirking, not reading that Ezra's approach to the duel had changed. He stepped forward cockily, slowly advancing towards the padawan, who let his arms fall to his sides to present an easier target. If Madine found anything strange with that, he didn't show it, as he continued forward, breaking into a run and swiping at Ezra. Or where Ezra had been. The teen had simply sidestepped the swing and retreated a couple of feet, composed as ever, trying to do Kanan proud even though he wasn't watching. Madine spun and angrily slashed at Ezra, moving his blade diagonally from Ezra's left shoulder to his right hip. Again, the padawan spun away, his own lightsaber hung on his belt with his arms behind his back. There was a part of Ezra that wanted to retaliate, to hit back and humiliate the man with a few strokes, but he kept his cool. That was a side of himself that he didn't want to explore, but had been increasingly present since Malachor. The neutral expression on Ezra's face only served to further anger his opponent, and Madine rapidly slashed this way and that, brandishing the saber wildly and missing the point that it was a weapon for precision and accuracy as well as swings and slashes. The attacks became more and more frequent, increasing in both pace and variety as Madine lost control, letting his frustration lead him. Ezra hoped for Rex's sake that the man was more competent with a blaster than a saber, or they'd get nowhere. The recruits watched on as Ezra dodged blows faster than Madine could produce them, moving too fast for the man to follow. Eventually Ezra glanced at Rex, and saw the approving look on the captain's face. With a small smile, Ezra dodged Madine's backhanded horizontal slash aimed for his midsection and somersaulted over his opponent, removing his saber from his belt and igniting it as he did so, bringing forth a bright green blade. He landed neatly and levelled it at Madine's neck. The man had over swung and had dropped to one knee after the slash, leaving himself vulnerable to an attack of any kind. The recruits watched in stunned silence until Rex began clapping.

"And that, recruits, is why we don't challenge a Jedi. Ezra could have finished that battle before it was even begun, but I'm grateful that he didn't, because it allowed him to show that he didn't actually need his saber to beat his opponent." Rex broke off as a recruit interrupted.

"But sir, he did though didn't he? The battle was only over when Markus had the saber at his neck." The man said. Rex shook his head, disagreeing.

"No. Madine was already beaten by that point. The saber to the neck was a formality. Madine was tired and reckless, and in a real match that would have cost him his life several times over. Ezra was hardly breaking a sweat and had dodged every attack with ease, and I can assure you that even if we took Ezra's saber from him, he would still have won." The captain said. Ezra felt his face heat up slightly at the praise Rex gave him, knowing now that Rex wasn't holding him responsible for what happened to Ahsoka. In truth, whenever he was training with Rex, it wasn't just shooting. The two had worked on Ezra's hand-to-hand skills too, something he hadn't really needed to work on until now. In fact he had come remarkably far, being able to hold his own against Rex for a suitable time where they decided either backup would have arrived or Ezra's opponent would have tired, not being a highly trained warrior like Rex.

"Oh really?" Came a voice from the hangar doors. "Care to prove that, Bridger?" Ezra turned to see Sabine stalking towards him, clearly still angry with him. The Mandalorian had her helmet off but the rest of her armour on, and her eyes were narrowed. The padawan didn't really know what to do. He knew that Sabine was far better trained than him, and getting beaten up in front of the very people they were trying to inspire may not be the best idea. On the other hand, Sabine didn't know that he had been taking extra lessons with Rex, so he could have the element of surprise. He really didn't fancy his chances, and a glance at Rex proved that the clone was thinking the same.

"I don't know Sabine, Ezra's just had a duel, and I have a class to teach. This may have to wait 'til later." Rex said, trying to stop the fight before it began. Sabine only smirked.

"You said it yourself Rex, he hardly broke a sweat. I'd say he's in perfect condition to fight me, so stop trying to protect little Ezzy over there and we'll see if he's brave enough." She taunted, aiming her words at both the clone and the padawan. Ezra refused to let his anger show, but was shocked at the disrespect Sabine had showed. The recruits had gone back to sniggering and murmuring at Sabine's words, and Ezra realised how much damage she was doing not just to his image, but to Rex's. The captain would have a hard time controlling them if they saw him disrespected like that.

"Sabine. I think you need to stop." Ezra tried. "You're letting your anger get the best of you and you're insulting the ones you call friends. Calm down." He felt like Kanan when he said stuff like that, all philosophical and Jedi-like. Sabine was unimpressed.

"Enough with the cowardly Jedi crap, Ezra. And as for insulting my friends, do friends leave us for undefined amounts of time with no way of knowing when you'll be coming back? Do they? Because you're no friend of mine Bridger!" She shouted at him, and her words cut deep. A part of Ezra knew that her anger was a manifestation of her worry and frustration, but he couldn't help but get angry himself.

"Cowardly Jedi?! Do you hear yourself? How cowardly are we when we take on the Inquisitors, or Vader? When you have to hide behind our blades because you're no match for them? You're not just insulting me there, Sabine, you're insulting both Kanan and Ahsoka, and I can't allow that. You say we aren't friends. Then it makes it all the easier to beat you." He snarled. He could feel the Dark Side pulling at him, urging him to lose control and teach Sabine her place. He refused. He would fight Sabine to defend those she just insulted. Rex, Kanan and Ahsoka. He tossed the practice saber aside and settled into a low stance, one that was well balanced so she would have a hard time toppling him. It was a defensive stance, one that would encourage Sabine to take the offensive. This would allow Ezra to see Sabine's style, as he had never thought to analyse the fighting technique of his friends and allies, but would also allow Sabine's anger to run it's course and hopefully clear her head. Sabine happily obliged, letting out a yell and moving faster than Ezra had ever seen her move. In just a second, she had closed the distance between them and launched a powerful kick at Ezra's abdomen. He moved his left arm to block the strike, but it still pushed him backward, with a very sore wrist from where she had connected. It was clear that Sabine was not going easy on him. He rolled with the force of it, flipping out into another defensive stance, with his right arm over his torso and his left extended slightly so she could not replicate the attack. Over to the side, Rex smiled slightly at the sight. Ezra was using the fight both as a means to run down Sabine's anger and a lesson. Sabine charged again, but before she reached him she dashed to his left, capitalising on the injured weaker arm. She was now too close for Ezra's stance to work, so he switched to a more offensive position as she landed a few jabs on his left side. He spun quickly, right arm knocking her left away as she wound up a punch, and landed a hit on her side as it was left vulnerable. Sabine didn't let that deter her though, as she rapidly jabbed, punched and kicked, forcing Ezra to move fast to keep up with her blows. He deflected most of them with precision that he had lacked before his lessons with Rex, and she jerked back out of his reach in surprise. Usually no one could last this long against her without more than just an injured wrist. Snarling, she changed tactics, grappling Ezra's right arm and flipping him over her to land on his back. Ezra went with the movement, but rolled as soon as he hit the floor, dragging Sabine with him as she still had hold of his arm. She lost her balance and stumbled slightly, allowing Ezra to sweep her legs out from under her. He quickly jumped up, backing up a few feet as she flipped upright. Her eyes narrowed even further and she redoubled her efforts. Swings, kicks, jabs, throws, it seemed like she had pulled everything in her arsenal out. Ezra was losing focus on the fight, his mind wandering somewhere else. He stopped defending himself. Sabine saw this as him giving in, but in reality Ezra wasn't even in the room. Eventually, Sabine flew into him, tackling him through some crates before punching him again. Her face was so full of anger that she didn't look like herself anymore. Ezra heard her words echoing in his head as he held his arms up to defend himself. She wasn't stopping. She needed to stop. Sabine's face was melting into someone else's, the hangar becoming an alley back on Lothal.

 _'No, not here. I never want to be back here.'_ He thought, struggling desperately against Sabine, who was now straddling him amidst the crates, shouting something at him. He couldn't hear her, he couldn't even see her. The memories were too strong. He had to get out.

"GET AWAY FROM ME!" He screamed, his throat raw. He raised his hands, channelling the Force as he lifted Sabine off of him. He held her there, the crates around them rising up as the others in the hangar looked on in shock. Sabine was struggling against his hold, but Ezra's control of the Force was far stronger than her. Her arms were pinned to her sides and her legs were frantically kicking to no avail. Ezra's vision cleared and he could see the fear in Sabine's eyes. Fear. She was afraid of him. He released his hold on her, floating her gently to the floor, where she sat shaking. The crates dropped and thudded around him. He could feel the eyes on him. Eyes full of worry and fear.

 _'So this is what it is to be a Sith.'_ Ezra thought, panicking slightly. _'No, this isn't what I want.'_ He couldn't stay here. Kanan would know what to do. He needed to find Kanan. He ran from the Training Hangar towards the Ghost. He would hide in the Ghost until Kanan found him.

As Ezra left, Rex cleared his throat.

"Take lunch, recruits." He ordered, and for once they all left silently, no doubt discussing what had just transpired as soon as they were out of earshot. Rex approached Sabine cautiously. The girl hadn't moved since Ezra had set her down. She was most likely in shock.

"Sabine," Rex began gently. "Can you hear me?" She nodded mutely, still shaking with her eyes wide. "Come on Sabine, we need to go to Hera now. That's it, come on." He supported her as she got up, slinging her arm over his shoulder to help her walk. There was no need to go far though, as the Ghost crew came rushing in, Kanan in the lead.

"Where is he?" He asked Rex, voice full of concern. Rex shrugged.

"Headed off at the speed of light Kanan, probably to find you." He replied. Kanan nodded in thanks and took off to find Ezra. Rex shook his head and turned back to Sabine. He had seen some incredible feats performed with the Force, but the way Ezra had shouted, it was like he was seeing someone else. The Ezra Bridger he knew would never have meant to harm Sabine, so who exactly did the padawan think was attacking him? He sighed. He should have stopped the fight sooner. He knew things would go wrong. Hera was speaking to Sabine soothingly, coaxing the girl out of her trance while Zeb stood behind her, ears flattened in confusion. Eventually Sabine managed a few words.

"I... I... I told him we weren't friends." She choked out. "And then I attacked him. He... He hates me." She said, taking deep, shaky breaths. Hera gasped and drew back in shock, Zeb just stared in disbelief. Rex shook his head.

"No Sabine, that boy doesn't hate you. He couldn't even if he tried." Sabine's head tilted slightly in confusion, looking for a moment like a lost puppy. "Now I'm a clone. A fighter, not a lover." He said, drawing a small smile from her as she related to his words. "But even I can see that Ezra would do anything for you." He continued. "Now, in hindsight, challenging him to a fight instead of making an apology was a bad move, correct?" She nodded at this. "And although your words hurt him, they didn't cause all of this." He gestured around. "No, you were too focused on the fight, too angry to see that Ezra wasn't in the same place as you. Halfway through, he stopped fighting, almost like he saw something. He didn't yell at you. He yelled at whatever he was seeing." Rex finished, that was about as good as he was going to get at consoling. Best to let Hera take over from here. He turned and walked away, nodding to Hera, who gave him a grateful smile.

"Zeb," Hera said gently as Rex walked away. "Would you give us a minute please?" Zeb nodded and lumbered out of the hangar, dragging Chopper by one of his claws as he went. "Sabine," She continued once the droid and Lasat were gone. "I need you to talk to me hon, talk to me." She encouraged. Sabine gave a weak cough.

"I was so scared Hera, he's never done anything like that before. Sure he's used the Force on bad guys, but when he used it on me I was helpless. He could've killed me if he wanted. I was so scared." She said, burying her head in Hera's shoulder.

"I know hon, I know. But Ezra was scared too. Listen to what Rex said. Ezra saw something that he really didn't like, and so he reacted. He could have hurt you, but he didn't. You probably hurt him more than he hurt you, and while I would like to be angry at you right now for doing what you did, it was your way of dealing with it. So what we're going to do now, is get you cleaned up, and then you're going to talk to him." Sabine pulled away and shook her head. Hera continued. "Yes you are Sabine, he's still Ezra. He doesn't want to hurt you at all. Why do you think that he ran after he realised what he was doing? The only way for you two to go back to the way you were is by talking. You're going to apologise to him and then see what he has to say. Now come on, let's go get you cleaned up."

-The Ghost-

Ezra curled up on himself on his bunk, berating himself for losing control like that. Sure, he probably saved himself from being pummelled, but at what cost? He allowed his past to get the better of him and the result was hurting Sabine. He knew that fighting was her way of letting out anger, so he had agreed to the fight in the hope that everything would go back to normal afterwards. But being hit like that by a friend had brought up some bad memories. Memories that Ezra had worked hard to bury.

 _Flashback_

 _It was a warm day on Lothal, and Ezra couldn't have been more thankful. It was rough surviving on the streets, and the cold nights didn't help one bit. He casually strolled down the market, acting as if he wasn't homeless or a thief, before he spotted a crate of food that a shopkeeper had made the mistake of leaving open. His hand was in and out before anyone could register what had happened, and his carefree demeanour never faltered as he brought the fruit to his mouth. It had been a couple of days since he'd had anything edible to eat, and the fruit tasted all the better for it. He leaned against the side of a building, watching as people did business, searching for an easy target. The day wore on, and Ezra had successfully managed some sizeable lifts. A strange, fancy looking watch taken from a man that had one on each wrist. A pouch of credits masterfully stolen from a dealer that had been swindling people out of money all day. Hell, Ezra had even managed to lift the hat off of someone's head unnoticed. Or so he thought. A hand tapped his shoulder as he returned to his spot by the building, and he turned to see a man dressed in a brown cloak and a wide hat that hid his face in shadows._

 _"I have been watching you, young one." He said in a slow drawl. "And I have seen your talents at work." He pointed to Ezra's pockets, which were bulging slightly. Ezra tried to bluff his way out of the conversation._

 _"I don't know what you're talking about sir, I don't work and I'm pretty sure I don't have any talents. Now if you'll excuse me I'm waiting for my parents." He said boldly, still leaning on the wall. The man chuckled._

 _"Yet here is one of them. You are able to lie most convincingly. However, I'm sure that if I was to call that man over there who's missing a hat quite like yours, or perhaps that woman who is now missing a pouch of credits of similar size to the one in your pocket, or maybe even the gentleman who's missing a watch that can be found hidden up your sleeve, they would not believe you." He said. Ezra's heart dropped._

 _"Ok, you got me. So what now?" Ezra asked, dropping the façade. He knew that he had to go along with whatever this man said, or it would mean another game of extended hide and seek with the Imperial enforcers._

 _"I wish to offer you a position. I believe that I could make good use of your skills. In return, I would offer you a roof over your head and some food for your stomach. Are you interested?" The man said. Ezra's curiosity peaked. Deals like that didn't come around every day when you lived on the streets. Still, Ezra feigned a lack of interest._

 _"What kind of position are we talking about? If I were interested." The street-kid said._

 _"Think of it as an upgrade of what you do here. I have a group of children who, like yourself, have nowhere to call home. They bring in some ah, goods, for me, and I give them a bed and a meal. With you working alongside them, I believe that my profits could rise greatly, meaning that you get more food and perhaps even your own savings account." The man informed him. Ezra sighed, he had suspected this. Pickpocket gangs were common on Lothal. The kids did the work and barely ever got any proceeds, and if they got caught, the adult in charge couldn't be held responsible as they had no evidence that said children had worked for him or her. It was a bum deal and Ezra knew it. But he had no choice._

 _"Lead the way." He said to the man._

 _Several weeks had passed since Ezra was inducted into the orphan gang of pickpockets, and strangely enough it was starting to feel like home. The other kids spoke to him, and he had grown to like some of them. The man that oversaw the group never showed his face, and mostly stayed to his office at the back of the property. There were only two ways into the hideout, as it were. One was the front door, but they were given strict instructions never to be seen using it, and the other was through a secret passage that led to the small back yard. The house itself was in one of Lothal's nicer districts. It seemed that the previous occupants of the house had been wealthy, but had "moved on to greater things". Ezra thought that they had run out of money. That seemed to be common in the city. People would earn a bit of money, save up, and then blow it all on some stupid stuff and end up worse than they were before. He knew for a fact that the guy that slept in the alleyway opposite the house was an ex-senator with a gambling problem. The group of them went out in the early morning and didn't come home until the late evening. They were given a small breakfast before they left and then a hot meal if they brought enough back. If they wanted to eat lunch, then they had to steal or scavenge it. It wasn't the best life, but it was as good as Ezra was going to get. Then things changed._

 _They all woke up together as usual, simply getting up from their makeshift bed. None of them had a change of clothes and showering was only a weekly activity, so all they had to do was get up and leave the house through the passage. The children got the top floor as their own, and the passage was dug into the foundations and walls. It started off as a tunnel, weaving down through the walls in a passage that none but they could follow due to their size. From there it led to a thicket of bushes with a clearing in the middle for them all to gather before setting off at intervals through a hole in the fence next to them. Ezra was on his own today, as they were an odd number. Nine hardly divided into pairs, and five groups performed better than three. He was given the landing pads today, they all took it in turns to avoid suspicion. Ezra loved the landing pads. He loved to think that he could stowaway on any one of them and travel lightyears away to another planet, start a new life. But he also knew that the boss would hunt him down. There used to be ten of them. One got ideas much like Ezra was having now. The boss disappeared for a couple of weeks and when he returned, he was dragging the offender by the arm. He forced them to watch as he proceeded to beat the child within an inch of her life, before leaving her in an alley to fend for herself. Ezra didn't know what had happened after that. He didn't want to. The boss was like that. Nice enough to your face, but if you withheld some of your lifts or tried to go off on your own he would get mad. And when the boss got mad, people got hurt. Ezra shook that though track out of his head and concentrated on getting enough loot to earn him a reprieve from the boss. He saw a crowd of well-off looking people getting on a shuttle-speeder to go towards the centre of the city, and quickly hopped on board. Had he had a partner, the two of them would have signalled each other to identify their mark. However, Ezra didn't have to do that today. Although having a partner made lifts easier, he always found that he worked just as well without others, hence why he didn't complain when he was assigned by himself. Ezra glanced around at the occupants of the shuttle, trying to find anything worthwhile whilst under the pretence of looking for a seat. Eventually he identified his mark, a snobby looking Imperial that had narrowed his eyes as Ezra had gotten on the shuttle. He carried himself with an air of superiority, and looked down his nose at everyone he made eye contact with, and Ezra assumed that he was returning from duty. Ezra didn't feel so bad about stealing from these kinds of people, they deserved it more than anyone else, especially the Empire. He noticed with childish glee that the man had his briefcase on the empty seat next to him. Instead of sitting next to the man, Ezra took a seat a couple of rows back on the other side of the shuttle. Drawing too much attention and suspicion too early on was a mistake that many rookies made, approaching their targets too fast and obviously. Ezra knew better. It was a game. A waiting game. As soon as the opportunity arose, he would take it. Mind games were important for lifts like these. He had to make the officer relax, make him subconsciously think that Ezra wasn't a threat. The shuttle jolted, and the man's case fell from the seat and slid back towards Ezra. As the Imperial made to get up and retrieve it, Ezra hopped off his seat and scooped the case up, handing it back whilst being as polite and friendly as he could manage. The man looked taken aback for a moment, before thanking Ezra rather briefly and then sitting back down._

 _The shuttle pulled into the port in the city with a frustrated but determined Ezra inside it. The officer hadn't let go of the case the entire ride, but Ezra noticed that he seemed to be incredibly ignorant of he surroundings. He could see a ticket reservation for a fancy restaurant poking out of the man's jacket pocket, and began planning. He left the shuttle and set off in a completely different direction to his mark, but it didn't matter, he knew where to go. He took a shortcut through some back alleys that his mark would avoid at all costs, being a 'big and important Imperial' and snuck through the back door to the exact same restaurant that his mark would be visiting later. Once inside, Ezra found the uniform for the doormen, yes this place was_ that _fancy, and quickly changed. He stuffed his jumpsuit into an empty locker just in time, as one of the actual workers came into the staff room. If the worker noticed anything wrong, he didn't let on, and continued to pour himself a cup of Caf. Ezra headed for the door that the worker, who looked to be a waiter, had just entered from, hoping that it lead to the front of the premises. He guessed right, as the door opened into the kitchen and lead through to the door that the waiter's brought food through. Nobody seemed to notice him, and that worked just fine for Ezra. It just showed how Lothal had changed, when nobody batted an eye at a thirteen year old working at a restaurant as a doorman. Usually you had to be at least fifteen, sixteen if you were a waiter, and Ezra was small for his age so there was no chance that he could be mistaken for fifteen. He focused on the task at hand, opening doors and taking people's bags and coats to the cloakroom off to the side. It was a strange thing, to have a cloakroom in a fancy restaurant, but then the rich were so often eccentric. All Ezra was waiting for now was his mark to enter the restaurant. He had to time it carefully so the other doorman didn't end up placing the case somewhere that he couldn't find it later. Eventually, an hour into the labour, Ezra's mark entered the restaurant. Ezra almost sighed with relief, stealing was so much easier than actual work! He took the officer's jacket and briefcase into the cloakroom and looked around to check for anyone watching. Mercifully, the stream of customers surging into the restaurant had died down, and the other doorman was simply waiting with his back to the cloakroom. Ezra now looked for a good hiding place. It was essential that he put the case somewhere no one would find it until he was ready. Luckily, it was nearly lunch time, so all Ezra had to do was wait fifteen minutes before he took his 'lunch break'. Fortunately for Ezra, no one entered or exited the restaurant during the fifteen minutes and he was able to slip back into the staffroom without a problem. Then, faking that he had left one of his own belongings in the cloakroom, he changed out of the stolen uniform and walked through the restaurant in his jumpsuit, causing several customers, thankfully not including the Imperial officer, to stare at him. He quickly strode into the cloakroom, picking the briefcase up from where he had left it and then exiting the establishment confidently. He silently prayed that the case had been worth all of this trouble, and that the boss would be pleased. However, just to be on the safe side, Ezra lifted some smaller items once he arrived back at the ports. He returned to the hideout full of worry, but putting on a brave front._

 _End of Flashback_

Ezra shook himself out of he memories. He didn't want to relive what happened after that. It was the source of a large majority of the scars on his back. Not all of them were caused by the boss setting the others on him, but most of them were. The case had actually been full of Imperial documents, which had been reported missing as soon as the officer made to leave the restaurant. All of Ezra's careful planning had gone to waste, and the boss had had hell on to find a buyer. Eventually, the case was dumped in an alley far on the other side of the city, after having been fully wiped of any fingerprints and DNA traces that might lead back to the hideout. It had cost a lot more than the simple items that Ezra had lifted made on the market. As a result, the boss had hit him, whipped him, branded him, and then let the others beat him too, before kicking him out with the promise that if he ever came back, he wouldn't leave alive. Ezra had been so shaken by the fact that the people he was coming to see as family had turned on him so quickly. It was part of the reason of his distrust for everybody but himself. He curled up and waited for the memories to stop coming...


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: Why does something always come up?**

 **Hi everyone! So, I realise that I said that updates would pick up from now on and they actually haven't, and all I can say is that I procrastinate way too much. Anyway, I've started my A-Levels, so we'll see how I get on, but hopefully I can commit to writing more frequently. Always remember to review if you can and ask questions whenever you feel like! The response lets me know if you guys like where I'm going with this or not, and it motivates me to carry on. See ya at the end!**

-The Ghost, Ezra and Zeb's room-

Kanan wasn't surprised to sense Ezra curled up on the bunk with his back to the door. This was common when the teen felt angry or sad. In this case, it was an extremity of both, as Kanan could sense that Ezra was angry for losing control, but sad because he had scared Sabine. Kanan also guessed that the other source of sadness was whatever memories Sabine had dragged up inside him when they fought. He sighed before approaching the bunk and gently shaking Ezra's shoulder. The padawan stirred and rolled over. Kanan could tell that Ezra had been crying and cursed inwardly. Ezra was already frail, but memories that shook him like this weren't doing him any good in the slightest.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Kanan asked gently, trying to get a response. Ezra shook his head.

"No," The padawan said, his voice breaking slightly. "I just wish... I just wish it didn't happen. Any of it." Kanan smiled slightly and brought Ezra into a rough embrace.

"Me too pal, me too." He said. "Now come on, let's get you cleaned up. And then you need to come to dinner." Ezra's eyes widened.

"I've been asleep that long?" He asked in surprise. "Karabast!" Ezra cursed, much to Kanan's annoyance.

"Come on! I'm right here you know. Hera would not approve of that kind of language, so neither do I. Zeb's been a bad influence on you!" Kanan cried in mock despair. As intended, the light-hearted tone drew a smile from Ezra as the teen hit back.

"Nuh-uh." He said, sounding every bit the child he was entitled to be at that moment. "You say it just as much!" Kanan stopped, hands up in a 'surrender'.

"Fair enough, you got me. Now, fresher, go." He instructed, and Ezra complied, grabbing his towel from where it hung on one of the heating pipes that went through the room. He headed down the hall towards the fresher before there was a noise on the boarding ramp. Hera's head popped up the ladder, her body following soon after. Ezra froze. As Hera stood up she saw him, but her expression wasn't as angry as Ezra was expecting. Instead it was one of concern.

"Are you alright Ezra?" She asked softly, as motherly as ever. Ezra nodded in reply, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. Then, as he was about to reply, there was the sound of another person climbing the ladder. The footfalls weren't heavy enough to be Zeb's, and everyone else with feet was already on board except one. Ezra cringed as Sabine followed Hera up the ladder. Hera's eyes widened as she realised the problem, but it was too late. Sabine looked over her shoulder and, seeing Ezra, recoiled slightly.

 _'Ouch.'_ Thought Ezra. _'Well, I can't pretend that one didn't hurt.'_ Instead of letting his hurt show, Ezra tried to remain neutral as Kanan caught up to him, sensing Hera and Sabine were on board.

"So, what are you guys doing back here?" Ezra tried nervously. Hera smiled softly at the gesture of conversation, and waited for Sabine to reply. When Sabine didn't, Hera took the initiative.

"We were just coming to get Sabine cleaned up," She began, but then noticed Ezra's towel. "But it can wait if you want to go yourself?" Ezra shook his head.

"Nah, it's cool. Ladies first and all right?" He said, stepping away from the fresher door, at which Hera felt a surge of pride. "Besides, I hear they've finally set up a proper fresher and changing room in the base, so I thought I might check it out. Let me just grab my shower gel." And then he quickly nipped into the fresher, grabbing his gel, the shampoo that the crew insisted he use, and then a frilly shower cap just for good comedic measure before stepping back out into the hall. Kanan chuckled at the cap, and it even drew a ghost of a smile from Sabine, so Ezra figured he'd made a good choice. Hera however, disagreed.

"That's my shower cap Ezra." She said, pointing to the two holes designed for her lekku. Ezra looked at them before trying, and failing, to hold back laughter.

"I didn't have you pegged as a 'rubber duck' person Hera, but hey, whatever you like right?" He jibed, tossing the cap to the captain, who caught it with one hand and wagged her finger at him in a non-threatening manner before realising that she would have no effect.

"Thank you Ezra, now I'll go grab you a towel and a change of clothes Sabine, alright?" She said, sweeping past him to Sabine's room. She nudged Kanan with her elbow as she walked past, and he got the message. Luckily, Ezra had forgotten a change of clothes too.

"Ezra, I'll grab you some and put them in your gym bag for you, Force knows I'm not letting you put those smelly things back on." He said, disappearing down the hall after Hera, leaving Ezra and Sabine alone, although how he would find any clothes with his current 'eyesight problem' Ezra wasn't sure. Ezra shifted his weight from foot to foot, rubbing the back of his neck again. Sabine glanced up at him from where she was leaning on the railings and took a deep breath.

"Look, Ezra," She began before he cut her off.

"Not right now Sabine. I know I sound like a real _wermo hu'tuun*_ right now, but I can't talk about it. Not yet." He said pleadingly, taking her aback with his knowledge of her language and the fact that he, knowingly or not, used one of the worst insults to describe himself. He took a deep breath and continued. "Can we... Can we try this later? You know, sometime when we're not both sweaty and grimy and hungry and set up by Hera and Kanan like we are now?" He tried, smiling slightly. Sabine recovered from her initial shock and saw that Ezra was making an effort, and that he wanted to talk to her, but on his terms, not Kanan's or Hera's. She returned the smile, albeit in a watery fashion, and nodded her head. He sighed in relief and shot her a look that said 'thank you'. They both turned around at the sound of footsteps and saw Kanan and Hera returning with clothes for each of them. Kanan threw Ezra's bag towards him, which the padawan caught with the Force and threw back, before the two became locked in an odd version of catch that had the girls smiling. Then Ezra threw up his hands and caught the bag as it sailed towards him.

"Alright, alright, I get it, I smell, I'm going." He complained, smiling at the sight of everyone happy. He hefted the bag over his shoulder and jumped over the railing, preferring a short fall to climbing the ladder. "See you guys at dinner." He called, sauntering off in the direction of the newly built fresher room. Immediately Hera and Kanan turned to Sabine.

"So how'd it go?" Hera asked softly. Sabine gave a non-committal shrug, resulting in a small scowl from Hera. "You did apologise right?" She probed. This time Sabine turned to them.

"I tried, but he didn't want to talk. I think he wants to wait until after dinner." She said with a slight smile. The couple-that-weren't-officially-a-couple relaxed slightly, and Hera sighed.

"Well, that's good enough for me." She said, allowing Sabine to grab her clothes and enter the fresher. She looked at Kanan as the fresher doors slid shut. He raised his eyebrows at her just enough that they were visible above his bandages, confused.

"What?" He asked. "I don't know what you want me to say Hera, let them figure it out, they're mature enough." He said. Hera raised her own eyebrows

"Last time we let them do that it led to this! I think we should be there for this talk." She said, going into full 'mother mode'. Kanan chuckled, wrapping his arm around her shoulders to comfort her, before steering her towards the ladder.

"You know, as much as I love that you're so protective of them, you need to give them some space love." He said. Hera turned and looked at him, and he could sense that she was slightly hurt, and he quickly backtracked, trying to find a better way to say it. "Umm, not that your protectiveness is a bad thing, not by any means. I think it's a good thing, you're looking out for some kids that we think of as our own and that have had a rough time in the past. But I think this is one issue that Supermom can't solve for them." He said, causing her to chuckle at the nickname Sabine and Ezra had bestowed upon her. She nodded her head, conceding the point. Kanan sighed with relief. "Now, Zeb's out with Chopper, and the kids are occupied with cleaning up, so what say you to a little stroll around the perimeter? A blind man like me could always use a helping hand." He offered, and Hera took the extended hand.

"I would love to, Kanan." She said happily. The two climbed down the ladder, Kanan rather cautiously, and then linked arms, heading off towards the fence around the base.

-The Showers-

Ezra didn't know what to expect from the rebellion's new shower facilities. They didn't exactly have the greatest budget, so he supposed there would be just a couple of freshers and maybe a changing room. What he didn't think he would see was a room that looked very much like a public changing room at a swimming pool, not that Ezra had ever been to a swimming pool having been too occupied with surviving, but this was what he imagined it would look like. There were men's and women's rooms, which Ezra was grateful for. Although he had seen women without a majority of their clothes on, pleasure palaces sure were a font of all knowledge, the women he'd seen weren't people he knew and lived with. The room was perhaps fifty feet across and thirty feet deep. A community shower lined the side of the room, with a wall of tiles and opaque glass separating it from the main room, leaving an entrance of about five feet at the end. The tiles came up past waist height to preserve whatever dignity Ezra wasn't sure, as showering together meant that everyone saw everything. That wasn't good for Ezra, as he was still a little self-conscious about his scars. They weren't everywhere, thank the Force, but they were pretty noticeable. He decided to play it at least a little safe and shower in his boxers, debating leaving his compression shirt on but deciding against it. He once again thanked the Force that Kanan had grabbed him a spare pair of boxers and then dumped his bag on one of the benches that occupied the wall that housed the doorway and also sat in the middle of the room. The toilet cubicles were on the opposite side to the showers, and then on the back wall, opposite the door, were a row of sinks and hand dryers. Ezra was surprised at how well planned out the room was, and guessed that this must be the result of some of the richer members of the rebellion wanting somewhere for their troops to clean up, especially the new pretty-boy recruits. At least the room was empty and Ezra could have his pick of the showers. He stepped in and turned one on, letting the warm water cascade over him. As he showered, Ezra tried to work out what he was going to say to Sabine. There was a part of him that didn't want to tell her what happened, that wanted to continue to keep everything a secret. But then there was also a part of him that thought that Sabine deserved to know why he freaked out and used the Force on her. He also wanted to be angry at her for the things she said and the actions she took, but then again he knew that it was who she was. When she got angry or upset she would do things like that, it was like a switch was flipped and her judgement became clouded until she had spent a suitable time being moody and angry. Why was everything so complicated?! He took in some deep breaths and decided just to roll with whatever he happened to think of when the time came, things never sounded sincere if there were scripted anyway. He washed himself pretty thoroughly, sure that Kanan and Hera would make him come back if he didn't smell as revolting pleasant as his shampoo did. Honestly, how people could use the stuff without their noses wrinkling up he didn't know. As a street kid, the only experience Ezra had with shampoo was when he joined the crew. Hera had locked him in the fresher until she could smell the shampoo from the cockpit. Not the happiest of times, although in Hera's defence, Ezra had smelled like a rotting Bantha that had been dipped in skunk fluid and left out in the sun. Yeah I know, lovely image. Once he was satisfied that he didn't smell even remotely of sweat, Ezra turned off the shower and dried off, slipping his towel around his waist and walking back towards his bag. He quickly dried off, peeling the wet boxers from his legs and putting dry ones on. He stuffed his towel, wash stuff and dirty clothes into his bag, pulling on some casual sweatpants and a black, form-fitting t-shirt. He slipped his trainers on and headed back to the Ghost, his head full of incoherent thoughts.

-The Ghost-

It took Ezra all of forty minutes to get to the freshers, have a shower, get changed and get back to the Ghost, and in all that time Sabine still hadn't reappeared from the fresher on board the ship. In fairness, he would have been quicker but the freshers were on the other side of the base. He arrived back at the ship and noticed the noise of the cascading water that meant Sabine was still showering. He smiled slightly and headed to his bunk, throwing his bag up and then retreating to the top turret to watch the sun's path through the sky. Ezra never knew that a planet full of sand and weird looking rock-trees could look so beautiful. The sun reflected off of each grain, creating an almost unbearable shine, but making the endless desert appear to be a shimmering ocean. Far off in the distance though, Ezra could see a small patch of darkness on the horizon. He was curious as to what it was, and resolved to ask someone if they had been out that far yet. Most likely not, but it wouldn't hurt to ask. Closer to the ship, Ezra could make out two dots moving close together and he couldn't help but smile. Hera and Kanan. For two people who claimed not to be in a relationship, they sure were bad liars. A clomping down below told Ezra that Zeb and Chopper had arrived back at the Ghost. He realised that he hadn't seen them all day and so jumped down to greet them.

"Hey Zeb, hey Chop." He greeted, yelling down the hallway to the entrance. Zeb's furry head poked out from the ladder hole and split in a grin.

"Hey kid, jus' bringing the bucket back so he can charge before dinner. You know how he gets when he's functioning on less than twenty." The Lasat grinned, as the droid in question flew over on his thrusters and landed before Ezra. Ezra smiled.

"Yeah, he gets real antsy huh?" He teased, nudging the droid with his foot, receiving a sharp jab from Chopper's claws in return. "Alright, alright, go charge ya big baby." Ezra said, allowing Chopper to pass to his charging station. The astromech beeped in something that almost sounded like gratitude before wheeling off down the hall, leaving just Zeb and Ezra.

"You alright now kid?" Zeb questioned. Ezra stiffened slightly but then forced himself to relax. It was just Zeb, and the Lasat cared about his welfare.

"Yeah, m' fine." He replied casually. "Well, not entirely but you know what I mean." Zeb nodded.

"Aye, don' think any of us are ever fine to be honest." He said quietly. "But ah well, tha's the price for being as great as us eh?" He joked, getting a smile out of the boy. The two shared a laugh for a moment before Ezra realised that the fresher had gone quiet, and then realised that he was leaning on the door. He jolted away to the other side of the hall just in time, as the door slid open to reveal Sabine, fully kitted out in civilian clothes. It was weird seeing her without combat gear, as she always nearly had her armour or something else of the kind on. Ezra was dimly aware that his mouth was hanging open, but he couldn't really help it. Sabine was wearing some ripped skinny jeans and a white t-shirt splattered with colourful paint, looking every bit the normal artist. But Ezra still couldn't help staring, she looked beautiful. Zeb chuckled as Ezra tried to say something, anything that wouldn't make him look stupid.

"Wow." Was all he managed, and he inwardly cringed as Zeb turned away to hide his laughter in a fake coughing fit. To Ezra's surprise Sabine blushed. Like actually blushed! Sabine never blushed, not even when that jackass Lando was sweet talking her! She smiled, reached over and closed his mouth with her hand.

"Don't want you to catch flies now do we?" She teased, and Ezra felt his own face heat up in embarrassment. She laughed and headed off to her room, probably to paint something or other, Ezra wasn't sure what else she did in there but sleep to be fair. He turned around to see Zeb letting his laughter loose and tried to scowl. Tried. It didn't work and he managed a grimace.

"That bad huh?" He asked his roommate. Zeb continued to howl before he managed to calm himself.

"Well, at least you didn't try a pick up line." Was all the Lasat could offer, before lumbering off to their room, still shaking with laughter.

"Hey! My lines aren't that bad!" He called after Zeb, only for Zeb's reply to be joined in unison by Sabine's.

"Yes they are!" The two chorused. Ezra shook his head, deciding to shut the pair up.

"I'll have you know that they worked back home thank you very much!" He called. There was silence for a minute, and Ezra was already celebrating his victory as he returned to the turret when another voice butted in.

"Oh did they now?" Hera said, raising her eyebrow at him. Ezra's face flushed red as he attempted to escape the situation. At once, Sabine and Zeb reappeared in the hallway, both eager to see what Ezra would do next. Sabine was wearing a smug look as she leaned on her doorway, notebook in hand, and it kind of distracted Ezra a little bit. Zeb, on the other hand, had started to laugh again. Hera clapped in front of him, jolting Ezra out of his trance-like state, and he turned to face her and Kanan.

"Uhh, yes they did. Gotta go, bye!" He replied, scaling the ladder quickly and throwing himself into the chair of the turret. He could hear laughter from down below before it quietened as Sabine spoke.

"Wait, was he being serious? He's used pick-up lines on Lothal and they worked? Meaning someone actually fell for them?" She asked, and Ezra detected a small waver in her Force signature that he couldn't identify. There was a moment of silence before Kanan responded.

"Yes. He was being serious." He sighed. "I could sense it." Zeb stopped laughing after that.

"Damn." The Lasat said. "Kid's been holding out on us." He chuckled. He was stopped by a glare from Hera, and quickly turned his laughter into a coughing fit. The Twi'lek nodded in approval and then turned to Sabine, who looked a little shocked still. Up in the turret, safely out of sight, Ezra allowed himself a smirk, his cocky demeanor returning. Clearly no one believed him capable of attracting the opposite sex. Well, that could soon be fixed. In fairness, Ezra had flirted with Sabine so much in self-defense. If she was too busy warding off horrific pick-up lines she wouldn't have the time to ask him about his past. That, and Ezra really did believe she was beautiful, so he had turned to the cheesy lines, not the ones he would actually have used back home, just as a self-defense mechanism, and partly because he knew they didn't work, so the rejection wasn't as bad. It made sense in his head, not so much when he tried to explain it though. Shaking his head, Ezra pulled up the holo-photo of his parents, letting the familiar faces calm him. It was nice to see them, even if it was in a picture. He turned around, checking that no one had snuck up the ladder, before settling back into the chair.

"Hey mom, hey dad." He began. "So, I think you guys would have been proud of me these past couple of days. I managed to put everything behind me and I met back up with the crew, and so far it's gone really great. They don't blame me for Kanan's eyesight, although Sabine was kinda pissed that I ditched everybody after the mission. I sort of lost control today though, I did some bad things, but I'm trying to fix it. I'm gonna talk to Sabine after dinner, I owe her an explanation and I really don't like hurting people, at least not people I'm close to. I miss you guys." He said quietly. He lapsed into silence for a minute before speaking up again. "I'm gonna try and persuade Kanan and the others to go back to Malachor at some point… To recover Ahsoka's body… If there's anything left… That explosion was pretty big." He choked out. "But I don't think it's fair that her body stays there, like all those other Jedi we found. She needs to be remembered. Kanan taught me about a ritual they used to do for some of the Jedi when they died. They made a big funeral pyre and burnt the bodies so their Force Spirit could be released easier than just letting the body decay. I think we should do that." He fell silent, hearing footsteps on the ladder. They were slow, methodic. Kanan. Ezra turned as his mentor's bandaged head came into view. He opened his mouth to defend his words but fell silent when Kanan's mouth curled slightly in a smile.

"I think you're right Ezra, but it'll have to wait. Sato just commed us, we're to report to his office immediately for a briefing." Kanan informed him. Ezra nodded, taking the memory card from it's slot in the interface, causing the picture of him and his parents to disappear. He swiveled the chair round, jumping off and following Kanan down the ladder. As they exited the Ghost, Kanan turned to him.

"They would have been proud Ezra. Very proud. Just like I am." He told his student. Ezra smiled at him, and the two walked towards Sato's office.

-Sato's Office-

 _'Why does something always come up?'_ Thought Sabine, grinding her teeth in frustration as Senator Organa and Commander Sato prattled on about how their mission was of "key importance" and that they "mustn't fail". She knew all of this already, after all, who goes out on a mission with an intent to fail it? She wished that Command had held off until after dinner, when she and Ezra had had time to talk. It annoyed her that the boy had palmed her off, although his reaction to her civilian wear was equal parts cute and amusing. She wished she could just see into his head sometimes. Although, they way he looked at her sometimes, maybe she didn't. She could see the Jedi in question standing at the other side of the crescent shape the crew had made around the holo-desk, at Zeb's shoulder, and his reaction was similar to her own. She could see the tension in his body as Princess Leia droned on about how they were "too radical" and "never looked for the diplomatic solution, instead preferring blasters". Humph, like Leia knew what their missions were like. In truth, Sabine didn't trust those who talked better than they fought, but that was her Mandalorian heritage showing through. Even the politicians of her home world could fight extraordinarily well, although there had been less emphasis on their military tradition with the Empire on the planet. She could tell that the rest of the crew weren't taking well to the criticism, but Hera and Kanan were masterfully concealing it. Eventually, Commander Sato put an end to Leia's speech, giving Hera the finer details of their mission on a data pad whilst outlining it briefly himself.

"Your crew is to head for the planet Dxun." Began Sato, and Sabine groaned as Ezra interrupted.

"Dxun? What is there for us on Dxun?" The padawan asked. Sato turned to face him, but instead of reprimanding Ezra, like Sabine expected him to, Sato explained himself.

"On Dxun, nothing." The Commander began. "But you are to hold position there until you receive a transmission authorizing you to proceed with the mission. It has come to our attention that the Empire has been tightening its hold on the planet of Onderon. Onderon's representative, Lux Bonteri, was removed and executed yesterday. It is both a huge sadness and a declaration from the Empire, as Bonteri was known to sympathize with us. With Bonteri gone, the Empire has installed a new leader, one who has no problem eradicating any resistance on the planet. Along with Bonteri, two other key members of Onderon's system were executed. Saw and Steela Gerrera, former agents of the rebellion." Kanan gasped in recognition, and Sabine turned to him.

"You knew them?" She asked. Kanan nodded.

"Yes, they were brave citizens. They joined together with Master Skywalker and Ahsoka to lead a rebellion against the Separatists in the Clone Wars. Afterwards, they were made Lux Bonteri's personal guard." He said. Sato nodded.

"My condolences, Master Jarrus. I should have known you would know them." He stated, and then carried on. "We received a transmission from a group of civilians that were close to Bonteri informing us of these events, and they have asked for our help in retaking their planet. It is your job to survey the planet and make a decision on if this is a war we can indeed win. You have however long it takes you to get there unnoticed and infiltrate Dxun. You leave tonight." He ordered, saluting to let them know that the meeting was over. Hera saluted back, and Sabine followed her lead, along with Zeb. Ezra and Kanan merely nodded, which Sato thankfully didn't notice. Unfortunately, Leia did.

"Jarrus, Bridger, may I speak with you?" She said, and Sabine was shocked to see Ezra turn to speak to her instead of Kanan.

"No, Princess, you may not, we have a mission to prepare for and I am afraid one of your lectures may interrupt our preparations and will only serve to frustrate the two Jedi that you have left." Ezra responded, and Sabine was impressed with how his mostly eloquent speech was underlined with a subtle threat to back off.

"Ezra." Hera warned, sensing the danger as Leia drew up to her full height. Sabine was again surprised when Kanan laid his arm on Hera's shoulder.

"Bridger, report to my office immediately, that's an order." Leia demanded. Ezra remained unfazed, and spoke calmly.

"With all due respect, Princess, I really don't like you like that." He said, flashing Leia a grin that Sabine just knew was bound to infuriate her. She was proven right as Leia's eyes flashed.

"Commander Sato, I am removing Bridger from active duty due to acts of insolence and insubordination." She said. Sabine's eyes widened. Leia didn't have that power did she? Hera gasped and turned to Kanan, pleading him to do something, but the Jedi remained stoic. Ezra's own eyes widened slightly, before settling again into a relaxed state.

 _'He knows something she doesn't.'_ Sabine thought. _'That, or he's about to do something stupid.'_ The latter proved to be correct as Ezra retaliated.

"Well, if I'm being charged I might as well earn it." He said. And then he walked out. The entire room stopped still.

 _'What does he mean? I might as well earn it?'_ Sabine wondered, and she could see similar cogs whirring in everyone's heads. Everyone's but Kanan's. The Jedi chose this time to react, and removed his hand from Hera's shoulder, striding towards Leia with purpose.

"You seem to have made a costly error, Princess." He informed her, without a care in the world. "Your first mistake was to assume that you have military command, when in fact, that power resides with Commander Sato, then Captain Rex, and those under him. Your second mistake was to try and order Ezra around. You have failed to see how your petty rants about how we work have angered both him and myself, as well as the rest of this crew. I would have thought that you'd want to keep people in this rebellion, yet your actions seem to drive them away. Your third mistake was to assume that you hold power over Ezra, and to not speak with him as an equal. You see, as the only functioning Jedi available, he has inherited Commander Tano's position until further notice, as I am currently unable, and she did not specify anyone but the two of us when she spoke with us along with Commander Sato and Captain Rex. A conversation you would have been a part of were you not attending the ball on Naboo. A ball that I understand had no importance to either the rebellion or your masquerade of being an active member of the Empire. Of course, I had hoped you had learned something about how we work when we rescued your transport ships, but evidently you did not review the situation as much as Ezra and I did, and thus failed to learn anything, even mild respect." Kanan's speech stunned the room. Not only was it eloquent and well argued, but it also pointed out many things to both parties. Sabine couldn't believe what she was hearing. Ezra, a Commander? It didn't make sense. Only it did, because Kanan had explained it. She wondered if it had occurred to Ezra that he was a Commander yet. Probably not, he seemed to be the same as ever, and he hadn't yet gotten his own squad. The thought churned her stomach slightly. Ezra could get his own squad, meaning that he'd end up leaving the crew, at least until the rebellion was over. That could be years. She thrust the thought out of her mind and concentrated on something that made her feel much better, namely the look on Leia's face. It was one of a spoiled child finally getting the scolding she deserved, and Kanan had certainly done just that. There was a tug on her arm, and she turned to see Hera stood next to her, waiting for her. Zeb had already lumbered after Kanan, leaving the her and Hera alone with Leia and Commander Sato.

"Come on Sabine, we have a mission to prep for." Hera said, her eyes pleading for Sabine not to say something to Leia. Evidently the thought had shown on her face, alarming the Twi'lek. She smiled at Hera's motherly instincts and willingly followed the pilot out of the room towards the Ghost.

-The Ghost-

Ezra wasn't on the ship like they'd expected him to be. They wasted a couple of minutes calling and searching for the padawan to no avail, before Kanan returned and immediately found his Force Signature across the other side of the base. Both Sabine and Hera had volunteered to go and get him, but Kanan had simply smiled and said that Ezra wouldn't be long. The way he said it made it look like he knew what Ezra was up to, but in reality that wasn't the case. All Kanan knew was that his padawan was probably doing something they would all regret later. He resolved himself to the wait. As he had learned in the Jedi Temple on Lothal, sometimes he couldn't be there for Ezra. He had to trust him.

A short while later, the com on Hera's wrist began to beep. An incoming transmission from Ezra. Kanan immediately probed the base to find his padawan, and picked up the teen's Force Signature rapidly moving towards them.

"Hera?" He questioned, and the pilot swiftly answered her com.

"Ezra? Are you there? What's going on?" She half yelled down the com. There was a wince from the other end, and the sound of ragged breathing, but Ezra's voice came through sounding extremely triumphant. Usually, that would be a good sign for Kanan, but now he got the impression that it was anything but.

"Hey Hera, you might wanna start the engine prep. Leia's kinda pissed at me. Gotta go, be there soon!" He said cheerfully into the com, before disconnecting, leaving the crew to stare at the device in amazement.

"Well," Sabine said calmly. "Let's get this show on the road. Good job we packed quick huh?" Kanan couldn't have agreed more, as the pounding of feet was heard outside in the hangar, and moments later Ezra came hurtling through the open door, laughing. He soon stopped when he realized that the engines weren't running.

"Guys, you know I was being serious right? If Leia and those asshole new recruits she sent us catch us before Sato gets a chance to talk to her, we're so grounded." He said seriously. That was all the persuasion Hera needed. When Ezra got serious, it was usually for a good reason. She began running through her flight checks at a speed any other pilot in the galaxy would be jealous of. The ship was just lifting off the ground when they saw Leia, ordering the new recruits from Alderaan to stand down, not wanting to bring down the Ghost. Angry as she was, even she could see that action of that kind was unjustifiable. Ezra smiled as he collapsed into his seat in the cockpit.

"Don't think you've gotten off without an explanation Ezra Bridger!" Hera said sharply, causing Ezra to wince and recoil slightly. "As soon as we hit Hyperspace you're going to tell me exactly why I had to rush our take off from our own base!" She continued in a tone that would make Ezra hang his head in shame if he wasn't so pumped up with adrenaline. He nodded his head, aware that Hera couldn't see the action as she was concentrating on the controls, but he felt like he should do it anyway.

"Yeah, I'm interested to hear that one as well." Supplied Kanan from his seat behind Hera. He had evidently had to swap with Sabine, his condition preventing him from being a useful co-pilot. Ezra smirked.

"Don't worry, I think you might like this one." He said confidently.

 **And there we have Chapter 6! Again, I'm really sorry for the lack of updates, and I know this chapter isn't brilliantly written, but I felt like I needed to get one up, especially in light of Season 3 Episode 1 which I have yet to watch. I didn't want it to interfere with my ideas for this chapter. Anyway, that's all for now, see ya next time!**

* _wermo hu'tuun_ loosely translates to "stupid coward" in Mandalorian. Incidentally, _hu'tuun_ is one of the worst insults possible in Mandalorian culture.


End file.
